Elavenil Valarivan, one of India’s top rifle shooters, secured the bronze medal in the women's 10m air rifle event at the ISSF World Cup 2025 in Munich, despite holding a strong lead in the early stages of the final. The 25-year-old shot an overall score of 231.2 to finish behind 18-year-old Chinese sensation Wang Zifei, who took gold with a commanding 252.7, and South Korea’s Kwon Eunji, who secured silver with 252.6.
Elavenil got off to a strong start in the final, registering a 10.7 and following it up with a 10.8 to establish her intent early on. By the time she completed 12 shots, she was leading the pack with a score of 127.2, slightly ahead of Wang. Despite consistent high scores, a costly 9.8 in a crucial round caused her to slip from the top position, ending the final in third place.
Earlier in the day, Elavenil had an outstanding performance in the qualification round, finishing second with a national record score of 635.9 over six series. She narrowly trailed behind Wang Zifei, who broke the world record with a score of 637.9. Elavenil’s qualification average of nearly 10.6 per shot underlines her elite consistency.
Kwon Eunji, the reigning Olympic champion, placed fourth in qualification with 635.6, and Turkey’s Elif Berfin Altun was fifth at 634.6. China’s Han Jiayu, a multiple-time gold medallist at World and Asian Championships, qualified sixth with 634.2.
Among other Indian shooters, Ananya Naidu placed 15th with 632.4. Ramita Jindal, competing for ranking points only, ended in 13th with 632.6. Meghana Sajjanar and Arya Borse, also shooting for RPO or regular slots, finished 25th and 60th respectively. In the men's 10m air pistol category, Nishant Rawat scored 582 to finish fifth in Qualification Relay 1, while Aditya Malra posted a 578 to place 18th.
In the women’s 25m pistol event (Precision stage), Esha Singh was placed fourth with a score of 294. Paris Olympics double bronze medallist Manu Bhaker was in 12th place with 290. Simranpreet Kaur Brar was placed 19th with 288. The rapid-fire round and final will be held on Wednesday. Elavenil’s podium finish adds to India’s growing presence in international shooting sports, reaffirming her consistency and competitive spirit as she eyes future global championships and the Paris Olympics.
