Shooter Elavenil Valarivan climbs to the summit of world rankings
The 20-year-old’s gold medal finish in the ISSF World Cup in Putian helped her ascend to the top of the rankings.
Following her gold medal win in the 10m Air Rifle event at the ISSF World Cup in Putian, China, Indian shooter Elavenil Valarivan climbed to the top of the women’s rankings in her discipline.
Teenager Divyansh Singh Panwar, who also won gold in the men’s 10m Air Rifle event in China, also reached his career-high rank of 2nd.
A stellar season
Elavenil's rise to the summit of the rankings was the perfect end what has been an incredible year for the shooter.
After narrowly missing out on a podium finish at the ISSF World Cup in Munich, the 20-year-old won her maiden medal in Rio De Janeiro and became only the third Indian woman shooter to win a gold in the 10m Air Rifle event after Apurvi Chandela and Anjali Bhagwat.
Her tally of two individual ISSF World Cup gold medal wins in 2019 was matched only by Chandela, Saurabh Chaudhary and Abhishek Verma from India. Despite all the success that Indian shooters have enjoyed in 2019, Valarivan is the only Indian shooter who sits atop the world rankings in her discipline.
Panwar’s proficient year
17-year-old shooting prodigy Divyansh Singh Panwar captured his first individual gold medal at the ISSF World Cup in Putian, China and the teenager has subsequently climbed to second in the men’s 10m Air Rifle world rankings.
The Rajasthan native previously had three World Cup golds and a bronze medal in the mixed team event but hadn’t won a gold in the individual category, narrowly missing out in Beijing and settling for silver. He returned to China for the World Cup in Putian and finally won his maiden individual gold medal.
Over in the men’s 10m Air Pistol rankings, Verma is second while Chaudhary is placed fourth, whereas in the women’s 10m Air Pistol rankings, India’s Manu Bhaker and Yashaswini Singh Deswal are fourth and fifth respectively.