\"The competition was really good. I cannot put the experience into words. This is amazing. Even before coming to the Asian Games, everybody was saying that this was luck that brought you. As a double starter, you can play as a double starter. But I can\u2019t say that\u2019s only luck, because behind this I have worked really hard for 8 years. So this is kind of my dream coming true,\u201d Vidarsa told IANS after the team silver win.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The silver came in the women\u2019s 10m air rifle team event, where Vidarsa joined Elavenil Valarivan and Sonam Maskar to deliver India\u2019s first medal of the Games. It also made her the first female from Keralam to win a shooting medal at the Asian Games.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Yet the 27-year-old\u2019s route to that podium has involved more than the final few shots in Nagoya. She has spent years navigating the international shooting circuit, competing at ISSF World Cups, World Championships and Asian Championships, while developing her speciality in the 50m Rifle 3 Positions event.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Her Asian Games debut inevitably brought its own pressure. Vidarsa, however, said she eventually stopped treating the occasion as something different from the competitions she had already experienced.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"Can\u2019t say there was no pressure at all. I was under some pressure at the beginning. Then I realised that all the competition is the same, similar: the timing, everything, and the shots. Everything is the same. So I don\u2019t have to think about it. So I started focusing on my preparation and the way I shoot. So then it was good,\" she said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
That focus has come at a cost outside the range. Vidarsa completed her graduation but could not continue with her planned postgraduate studies because of the demands of an increasingly packed shooting calendar.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI have completed graduation, and now I am just fully focused on shooting,\u201d she said<\/p>\r\n\r\n
She added, \u201cI had planned to pursue postgraduate studies, but I couldn\u2019t complete them because of the competition. We have four World Cups, the Asian Championship, and the Asian Games. We also have domestic competitions, such as selection trials. Because of that, I wasn\u2019t able to attend classes and therefore couldn\u2019t complete my postgraduate studies. I just completed my graduation.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Her support system has travelled with her through that journey. Her husband is with her in Japan, while her family continues to support her from India, and coach Manoj Kumar is alongside her in Nagoya.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cYeah, my husband is here. He is here to support me. Everybody in my family is in India, but I have their blessings. My coach, Manoj Kumar Sir, is also here. So everybody is with me,\u201d Vidarsa stated.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The journey was particularly challenging at the beginning, when Vidarsa said she had little guidance on how to progress within competitive shooting.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cYeah, it was actually tough because there was nobody to guide me at the beginning. So how to get into the team, how to get a good coach, or something. There was nobody to guide me at the beginning. Then I met my husband. From that moment to this, he has been the one making all the decisions,\u201d she stated.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Now training in Delhi under Manoj Kumar, Vidarsa has established herself as a regular member of India\u2019s rifle squad. Earlier this year, she topped the 50m Rifle 3 Positions qualification at the 2026 Asian Rifle\/Pistol Championship in New Delhi with 590-35x.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cYeah, it was actually tough because there was nobody to guide me at the beginning. So how to get into the team, how to get a good coach, or something. There was nobody to guide me at the beginning. Then I met my husband. From that moment to this, he has been the one making all the decisions,\u201d she stated.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cYeah, my next event is on the 26th. That\u2019s the 3-position rifle event.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n