Elavenil Valarivan: Calm in victory, composed in defeat, always learning

Elavenil Valarivan’s smile never seems to depend on the colour of the medal around her neck.

On Sunday, even after surrendering a gold medal that was firmly within her grasp, the 27-year-old Indian air rifle shooter walked out of the Asian Games range with the same disarming smile—calm, composed, and strangely content.

For much of the women’s 10m air rifle final, Elavenil looked in complete command. She built a lead of nearly 1.5 points and carried it deep into the competition. But three loose shots towards the end changed the complexion of the contest, leaving her with a silver instead of the gold that seemed hers for the taking.

There was no anguish, no attempt to disguise what had happened. “I did get a bit relaxed. I think I really need to work on my finals some more,” Elavenil said. “I knew that I was in the top three. Although I was coming back to focusing on my process and my technique, I did get a bit relaxed.

“Once the medal was assured, the pressure was released. It was more about me getting a little easy on my process,” she added.

The admission, perhaps, explained why she could be at peace with a result that, for many athletes, would have been difficult to digest.

“I felt I gave my absolute best,” she said. “I think it is all a learning process.”

It has become something of a theme in Elavenil’s career since the Paris Olympics. She has increasingly spoken about learning, experimenting and finding ways to extract the best out of herself rather than obsessing over medals.

“Post-Paris, it has been like this, and I am very grateful that I have been getting a lot of opportunities to learn and experiment and utilise my potential to my absolute best,” she said.

Sunday’s silver was her third successive individual silver at major Asian competitions, following podium finishes at the Asian Championships in Shymkent and Delhi. Yet, instead of dwelling on another near-miss, Elavenil was already looking forward to something much simpler.

“I think next is going to be rest and recovery. I’m missing my bed terribly,” she said, laughing. “I just want to get back and celebrate it with my coaches and my teammates.”

The world championship later this year can wait—at least for a few days.

“That is the goal that I would start working on once I get to recover and rejuvenate myself and get the hang of this,” she said.

The medal was also part of a double delight for India, with Elavenil, Sonam Uttam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod combining for another silver in the team event. For Elavenil, the achievement was less about individual glory and more about the bond that has developed between the three shooters.

“I think it is more about the team’s combined effort, how each of us has been helping each other throughout the training sessions and being our absolute best,” she said.

There had been no grand team meeting or gold-medal proclamation before the competition.

“Not really,” she said when asked if the trio had spoken about going for gold.

“Of course, we all wished each other the best. We just said that whatever is our best, we would like to do our best and wait for whatever happens.”

As the most experienced member of the trio, Elavenil also understood what the two medals could mean for the rest of India’s shooting contingent.

“I think it is going to boost the entire team. Knowing that on the first day we have won two medals, going on from here, I think it is just on.”

But the medal's personal significance ran deeper.

It had taken eight years for Elavenil to win a medal at the Asian Games. She first appeared in 2018 in Jakarta.

This time, she arrived as a seasoned Olympian, but with one glaring omission from her collection -- an Asian Games medal.

“The first conversation my coach and I were having was that it has been eight years since my first Asian Games to my second,” she said. “It was more about being very grateful that I was getting the opportunity to be a part of the contingent and represent my country.”

One person she wished could have witnessed the moment in person was her coach, Neha Chavan, who was not in Nagoya.

Before the competition, Chavan reminded her that all the hard work had already been done.

“She told me, ‘You have trained your absolute best. There’s nothing more you can do on this given day. All I would wish for you is to follow the technique, trust yourself and be courageous, as you’ve always been’,” Elavenil recalled.

“I’m very grateful that I’ve got her by my side all the time, even when she is not there.”

Chavan’s absence was felt more keenly because this was Elavenil’s first Asian Games medal.

“I’m missing her at this moment because it’s my first Asian Games medal. She’s not here in person to witness it. I would have really, really appreciated it if she was here,” she said.

Now, the celebration will have to wait until she returns home.

Even in the immediate aftermath of the final, Elavenil had barely looked at her score. The Indian said she had asked her coach what she had shot. Her focus, as always, was on the process.

That philosophy also extends to the notebook in which she records her thoughts after competitions.

What did she write after today’s match?

“That would be a secret,” she said with a smile, but when pressed, she said, “I did my absolute best that I could,” before she hurried off to catch the bus to the team hotel.

(Image credit: @PMOIndia on X)