India's Elavenil Valarivan became only the third shooter after Apurvi Chandela and Anjali Bhagwat to win a senior ISSF World Cup gold in the 10m Air Rifle in Rio de Janerio on Wednesday. The 20-year-old shot gold with 251.7 points while Seonaid Mcintosh from Great Britain took the silver with 250.6 points.

With India already having secured the maximum of 2 Olympic quotas in the women's 10m Air Rifle category, the Olympic quota on Wednesday went to Ying-Shin Lin from Chinese Taipei who finished with a bronze.

Elavenil Valarivan had narrowly missed a place on the podium at the ISSF World Cup in Munich wherin she finished 4th in the final. However, on Wednesday, Elavenil was at her best, pipping senior compatriots Anjum Moudgil and Apurvi Chandela.

While Anjum Moudgil finished sixth in the 8-woman final, Apurvi Chandela missed out on the final berth after finishing 11th in the qualification round. Elavenil shot 629.4 to finish fourth in the qualifying round while Moudgil shot 629.1 to finish fifth. Chandela failed to qualify after managing 627.7 points.

India has now won three out of the four World Cup gold medals in the women's 10m air this year. Such has been India's supremacy that Mehuli Ghosh, shooting in the non-competition Minimum Qualification Score (MQS) section, shot a 629.1, which could have earned her a final spot as well.

Notably, this is Elavenil Valarivan's maiden medal at senior World Cup. The 20-year-old from Tamil Nadu had earlier won gold medals at ISSF Junior World Cup in Sydney and Suhl in 2018.

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