Elavenil Valarivan wins gold medal at Sheikh Russel International Air Rifle Championship

World number one Indian Elavenil Valarivan won a gold medal and Shahu Tushar Mane bagged a silver in the Sheikh Russel International Air Rifle Championship, held virtually on Sunday. The championship was organised by Bangladesh Shooting Sport Federation (BSSF). Thanks to her gold, Elavenil got richer by $1000 while Shahu Mane pocketed $700 for his effort. In the 60-shot competition in which shooters from six nations participated, including hosts Bangladesh and India, Elavenil shot a modest 627.5 to come out on top. Shiori Hirata won the silver with 622.6, while Indonesian Vidya Toyyiba took the bronze with 621.1. Japan, however, won the gold in the men’s event as Naoya Okada shot a solid 630.9 to leave India’s Shahu behind. Shahu shot 623.8 to settle for second place while Baki Abdullah Hel won bronze for the hosts with an effort of 617.3. Korea and Bhutan were the other countries to participate in the competition. The championship is being held to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sheikh Russel, the youngest son of Bangladesh’s founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and brother of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Elavenil is the current world number one in women’s 10m air rifle and was selected for the tournament as she is not attending the national camp in New Delhi due to her exams. Shahu Mane was selected on the basis of his national rankings as of 18 March.