Indian duo staged comeback, defeating China 17-11 in final
Shymkent
India shone brightly at the 16th Asian Shooting Championship on Saturday, with Arjun Babuta and Elavenil Valarivan winning the gold medal in the 10m air rifle mixed team event. The Indian pair staged a strong comeback to defeat China’s Dingke Lu and Xinlu Peng 17-11 in the final.
Though they began nervously, with shots of 9.5 and 10.1, Babuta and Valarivan quickly regained control. Their sharp focus and steady shooting helped them dominate the later rounds, sealing a confident victory for India.
For Elavenil Valarivan, this medal was extra special, as it was her second gold in the championship. Just a day earlier, she claimed the women’s 10m air rifle individual title with a score of 253.6, narrowly defeating China’s Peng Xinlu and Korea’s Kwon Eunji. This marked Elavenil’s first continental crown, adding to her growing reputation. Having represented India at both Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics, she continues to prove herself as one of Asia’s top shooters.
India’s strong performance extended beyond this win. Earlier, Arjun Babuta, Rudrankksh Patil and Kiran Jadhav secured the men’s 10m air rifle team gold, displaying the country’s depth in shooting. In the women’s team event, Elavenil, along with Mehuli Ghosh and Ananya Naidu, picked up the bronze medal, only missing silver by a small margin. Mehuli Ghosh also finished fourth in the individual women’s 10m air rifle final.
At the close of events, India comfortably led the medal tally with 21 gold, eight silver, and ten bronze medals. China followed in second place with nine gold and a total of 19 medals.