Elite rifle shooter Elavenil Valarivan said beating reigning Olympic and world champion Ban Hyojin of South Korea for an individual silver at the Asian Games has helped her overcome the disappointment of narrowly missing out on gold after leading until the final stages of the women’s 10m air rifle competition in Nagoya.

Elavenil returned home to a rousing welcome at Delhi’s IGI Airport along with seven other medal-winning members of the Indian shooting contingent late last night.

“I feel very grateful that I got to represent my country and was able to bring a lot of laurels for the country. Definitely, there is some disappointment that I could not win the gold, but nevertheless, this is just the beginning and I think there is more to come,” Elavenil told PTI after being accorded a thunderous welcome at the airport.

– PTI

India’s archers will begin their Asian Games campaign with a blend of proven form, youthful promise and a clear target to better their nine-medal haul from Hangzhou, when competition gets underway at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Multipurpose Square, here on Saturday.

Leading the charge will be Dhiraj Bommadevara, who arrives in Japan fresh from a landmark World Cup Final triumph in Saltillo last week, becoming the first Indian male recurve archer to win the season-ending title.

The 25-year-old’s breakthrough comes after a strong run that also included his maiden World Cup gold in Antalya and the 2025 Asian Archery Championships title.

– PTI