‘Her Main Aim Is Olympics Medal’: Vidarsa K Vinod’s Historic Asian Games Silver Brings Joy to Thiruvambady | Exclusive

At the foothills of the Wayanad hills in Kerala, lies Thiruvambady, a small town in Kozhikode district of Kerala. And on Sunday (September 20), the town celebrated the stunning success of their girl, Vidarsa K Vinod.

Just on the banks of the Iruvanjippuzha River, the town escapes the crunch of Kozhikode city. But the Vinod family, whose daily life is generally calmer, had all the rush due to people coming over to their house.

Vidarsa K Vinod's Asian Games debut has already become a landmark moment for Kerala. The Kozhikode shooter was part of the Indian women's 10m air rifle team that secured silver at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Sunday, helping India open its medal account at the continental showpiece.

Alongside Elavenil Valarivan and Sonam Maskar, Vidarsa contributed to India's aggregate score of 1898.0. China won gold with 1904.2, while hosts Japan claimed bronze with 1897.1. Vidarsa's 630.4, combined with Sonam's 634.1 and Elavenil's 633.5, was enough to put India on the second step of the podium.

The achievement also made Vidarsa the first woman from Keralam to win an Asian Games medal in shooting, adding a historic dimension to India's opening medal of the Games.

Speaking after the landmark performance, Vidarsa expressed her happiness at making an impact on her first Asian Games appearance.

"There are very few people from Keralam in this sport, and I am happy to be the first woman from the state to win a medal in shooting," she said.

MyKhel contacted with Vidarsa's family in Kerala, and her father was ecstatic with his daughter's performance.

"Valare Santhosham (Very Happy)", he said when we contacted him for his thoughts. And soon after, Vidarsa's younger sister joined, who has been seeing her elder sibling practicing hard for the Asian Games.

"We are very happy and proud at the moment. Everyone is extremely happy. There was also a big function at our home today, and our ministers came to the house. We are very grateful for all the support and recognition that Vidarsha has received. The ministers also called Vidarsha today to congratulate her on the achievement, and it was a very special moment for our family," she said to MyKhel.

Vidarsa's journey into shooting began in 2018 through the National Cadet Corps, before she chose the sport professionally the following year. Much of her training has been based in New Delhi. She also continued training after her marriage around a year and a half ago, despite having limited time with her husband because of her competition and training commitments.

And the younger sister says her elder sibling's main aim is to win a medal at the Olympics.

"She has been working very hard for it. We have all supported her along with her husband. We are so proud that she has got this result. And her main aim is to win a medal at the Olympics."

The silver has also provided momentum ahead of Vidarsa's principal event at the Games - the women's 50m rifle 3 Positions, scheduled for September 26. The shooter said the medal has given her additional energy for the event.