Fresh off winning a silver medal in the 10m air rifle women’s team event, Sonam Maskar dedicated the triumph to her mother and father, who have played a crucial role in her rise in the sport.
Sonam, Elavenil Valarivan and Vidarsa Kochalumkal clinched the silver in the women’s 10m air rifle team event after securing 1897 points at the Aichi Pref. General Shooting Gallery.
Speaking after the win, she dedicated her medal to her parents. “It feels great to represent India at this level. I feel proud of winning the silver. I would dedicate this medal to my mom and dad; without them, I would not have been here,” Sonam told IANS.
She also thanked the Sports Authority of India, the Indian Railways and the Army for their support. “I got a lot of support from the government. SAI supported me well. I’ve got support from my own sponsors too. The Indian Railways and the Army also supported me in my journey,” she said.
Sonam, a two-time silver medallist at the ISSF World Cups, stated that they will be waiting for the men’s event tomorrow to celebrate the win together. “We will be celebrating with the team. Tomorrow, the men’s event is also there, so we will be celebrating together after that,” she said.
Sonam also made it to the final of the 10m air rifle individual event but finished sixth, while the other Indian Elavenil, clinched a silver there too.
Elavenil backed her team silver with an individual silver too after finishing second in a tense women’s 10m air rifle individual final.
Elavenil came within touching distance of a gold medal before Japan’s Hinata Taichi produced a decisive finish to claim gold with an Asian Games record score of 253.0, while Elavenil finished on 252.4 for silver. Behind them, South Korea’s Ban Hyo-jin clinched the bronze with a score of 230.4.
