Elavenil Valarivan starts Olympic training in Hyderabad

Elavenil, who won a gold each in the World Cup for senior women and the World Cup finals last year is in Hyderabad at the initiative of her mentor, Narang.

World No.1 shooter Elavenil Valarivan training at the SATS shooting ranges in Gachibowli in Hyderabad.

For World No. 1 Elavenil Valarivan, it is a nostalgic trip to Gachibowli SATS shooting ranges in Hyderabad. She will be training at the facility before joining the national camp for Olympic probables in New Delhi from November 18.

The 21-year-old, who won a gold each in the World Cup for senior women and the World Cup finals last year is here at the initiative of her mentor, Gagan Narang.

“It has been more direct training with Gagan Sir since 2017 and he has always been very helpful, with his quick responses to queries,” Elavenil told Sportstar on Saturday.

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“The focus is to get back to where I left off before the lockdown in March," said the Cuddalore-born shooter.

“The biggest challenge during the pandemic is not being able to be in direct contact with my coaches. Whatever interaction was only video calls. We had to adjust to the changed scenario,” Elavenil said.

“Hyderabad always has been a very nostalgic place for me. Being a South Indian, I love the food culture here and these ranges also have a special place. I won my last School Games Nationals medal (silver) here long ago, ” she said.

“Frankly, I am not thinking too far about the Olympics right now. Definitely, the two World Cup gold are stepping stones in my career as I chase bigger goals. Definitely, I am more confident now,” the champion shooter said.

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“I don’t feel the pressure of being a World Cup champion in the seniors category. Yes, similarly, though the World No.1 ranking is a very special achievement, every day is a new challenge and one has to give 100 per cent to be consistently brilliant,” Elavenil concluded.