Disappointment for India as Apurvi, Elavenil fail to qualify for 10m air rifle final
Tokyo: Indian shooters endured a poor start at the Tokyo Olympics with first-timer Elavenil Valarivan and Apurvi Chandela failing to qualify for the finals of the women's 10m air rifle event here on Saturday.
China's Qian Wang won the ongoing Games' first gold medal after she shot an Olympic record 251.8 in the eight-woman finals.
The Russian Olympic Committee's Anastasiia Galashina claimed the silver with 251.1 while Switzerland's Nina Christen took the bronze with 230.6.
Making her Olympic debut, world number one Elavenil finished 16th in the qualifications after shooting 626.5 over six series of 10 shots each, while the more experienced Apurvi, who is also the finals world record holder in the event, settled for the 36th place after aggregating 621.9 at the Asaka Range.
The Indians were off to a decent start and even as Apurvi slipped after a disastrous second series, with two scores of 9.5 and 9.9, the 21-year-old Elavenil tried to remain in the reckoning with a fine performance in the third series, including shooting a perfect 10.9.
However, Elavenil, a World Cup Final gold-medallist, could not maintain the same form and a couple of 9s in the fifth and sixth series pushed her further down.
Apurvi, 28, who has won two World Cup gold medals during her excellent run in 2019, had finished 34th at the 2016 Rio Games.
Earlier, Norway's Jeanette Hegg Duestad topped the qualification with an Olympic record score of 632.9 but missed the world record by 1.1, while South Korea's Heemoon Park was second with 631.7. American challenger Mary Carolyn Tucker finished third with 631.4.
In a very competitive field consistently producing high scores, Elavenil fell two points short of the total shot by Galashina, who grabbed the eighth and last spot in the final by setting the cut-off at 628.6.
Ironically, the women's 10m air rifle was the first event in which India clinched quotas for the Tokyo Games with Apurvi and Anjum Moudgil claiming them at the 2018 World Championship in Changwon, Korea.
Moudgil's quota was given to Elavenil on the basis of the latter's excellent run of form through the Olympic selection cycle.
The women's 10m air rifle event saw one of the largest fields in Tokyo, with a total of 50 shooters in the fray.
A total of 60 shots are fired in the qualification round in an allotted time of 75 minutes from a 0.177 inches caliber air rifle, and scoring is in decimals of 10 with a 10.9 being the perfect shot.
Normally, anything over 630 (out of a maximum 654) is good enough to make the 8-player final.
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NRI Kannadiga community should achieve greater accomplishments: Dr. Arathi Krishna
Bahrain: Dr. Arathi Krishna, Vice President of the Non-Resident Indian (NRI) Forum, Government of Karnataka, participated as the Guest of Honour at the prestigious Global Women’s Economic Forum and Exhibition held on January 13, 2025 in Bahrain.
The international event, known for its pivotal role in empowering women entrepreneurs and professionals, provided a unique platform for showcasing business innovations and fostering leadership among women.
During the event, Dr. Krishna emphasized the significance of women’s contributions to entrepreneurship and technological advancements. She noted that the forum's dynamic workshops, panel discussions, and expert speeches offered specialized insights into innovative practices, financial management, and the adoption of new technologies. These knowledge-sharing opportunities are designed to support emerging women entrepreneurs, enabling them to thrive in a competitive global marketplace.
Highlighting the transformative power of such initiatives, Dr. Krishna remarked on the growing achievements of women entrepreneurs in traditionally male-dominated sectors. She acknowledged that the event not only celebrated success stories from across the globe but also inspired young women to pursue entrepreneurship and leadership roles. The participation of women-led businesses from diverse nations underscored the universal nature of entrepreneurial spirit and innovation.
Dr. Krishna also engaged in thoughtful discussions with successful women leaders and interacted with representatives of various Kannada associations in Bahrain. She reiterated her appeal to the global NRI Kannada community to strive for excellence and greater accomplishments in their respective fields.
