India Shines with Double Silver in Shooting at Asian Games 2026

India's Medal Journey Begins at Asian Games

In Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, India kicked off its medal quest at the 20th Asian Games with a remarkable double-silver achievement in shooting, highlighted by the stellar performance of Olympian Elavenil Valarivan on Sunday.

The women's 10m Air Rifle event marked a successful start for India, as Elavenil Valarivan clinched silver in the individual final, while she, along with teammates Sonam Uttam Maskar and Vidarsa Kochalumkal Vinod, secured silver in the team event.

At the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery, the Indian trio amassed a qualification total of 1898.0 points, earning them silver in the women's 10m Air Rifle team competition.

China took home the gold medal with a score of 1904.2 points, thanks to the efforts of Wang Zifei, Han Jiayu, and Du Yuchen. Japan finished third, earning the bronze with a combined score of 1897.1.

Sonam led the qualification for India with an impressive score of 634.1, placing third, while Elavenil followed in seventh with 633.5. Vidarsa contributed a solid 630.4, securing the team silver.

Later in the day, Valarivan added to India's medal tally by winning silver in the women's 10m air rifle final, continuing the country's strong performance in shooting at this continental event.

Elavenil finished second, just behind Japan's Hinata Taichi, who took gold, while South Korea's Ban Hyojin earned bronze.

Entering the final in great form, Elavenil took an early lead with a score of 53.1 in her first series. Sonam, competing alongside her, finished her opening series with 52.1, placing seventh.

After ten shots, Elavenil maintained her lead with a score of 106.0, while Sonam was in joint fifth with 104.2.

As the elimination rounds progressed, Elavenil continued her strong performance, scoring 10.6 on her first shot and following it with a 10.3. Sonam also delivered strong shots, including a 10.6 and a 10.7, placing fourth with 125.5 after 12 shots.

Elavenil kept her lead in the final stages, hitting 10.8 and 10.7 in her next two shots, extending her lead to 148.4 after 14 shots, while Sonam was fourth at that point with 146.6.

In the subsequent series, Elavenil scored 10.7 and 10.5 to remain at the top, while Sonam's scores of 9.9 and 10.5 led her to finish sixth.

Elavenil continued her excellent run, scoring 10.6 in her 17th shot and 10.1 in her 18th, leading with 190.3 points. After 20 shots, she held a narrow lead with 211.1, just ahead of Hinata's 210.8.

After the 21st shot, Elavenil scored 10.5, but Hinata and Ban Hyojin kept the pressure on. Following 22 shots, Elavenil slipped to second place with 231.9, trailing Hinata's 232.2.

In the final shot, Elavenil scored 10.1, while Hinata finished with 10.2, securing the gold medal for Japan. Elavenil earned silver after a commendable performance.

Following her success, Valarivan expressed her joy at being able to bring happiness to her loved ones and dedicated her medals to her support team for their unwavering dedication leading up to the event.

In her words, "I think I am still letting it settle in; it is very fresh, of course. I spoke to my family, my mentor, my coach, and my psychologist, and I could see all happy faces, and I am very grateful that I gave them the opportunity to be happy."

Elavenil reflected on her previous Olympic experiences, noting that this was her first opportunity to win a medal at such a prestigious event. She expressed gratitude for representing her country and achieving this milestone.

She acknowledged the hard work of her support team, stating, "It is to the support team that I have, I mean, they have been tirelessly working with me for the past few months, making sure that I was equipped with each and every aspect of my sport and that I am at my best on the given day."

Elavenil expressed confidence in the Indian contingent, which had already secured two medals on the opening day, wishing her teammates the best of luck.

Her father, R. Valarivan, shared the family's pride in her achievement, emphasizing the years of hard work that led to this moment.

He stated, "We are very happy because it is her 12 years' hard work, which paid off. She participated in the Olympics but narrowly missed an Olympic medal last year. And at the Asian Games, she got it this year. We are very happy."

R. Valarivan mentioned that Elavenil's next major goal is to win an Olympic medal, expressing hope for her future success.

Elavenil's mother, Saroja Valarivan, shared that the family watched the final live and felt proud of her performance, despite the near miss for gold.

Vidarsa Kochalumkal Vinod also expressed her joy at winning silver in the women's 10m air rifle team event, dedicating her medal to her coach.

She remarked, "I am so happy and so grateful that we have this medal. We got the medal for India, for our country, so I am so proud."

Vidarsa reflected on her challenging journey to this level of competition, stating, "It took almost eight years to come here to compete at this level. The journey was very difficult; I had to make a lot of sacrifices, a lot of failures. But I was not ready to give up. That is how I am here."

She dedicated her medal to her coach, Manoj Kumar, and her family, expressing gratitude to her sponsors and supporters.

India's double silver achievement was celebrated by Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who praised the athletes for their hard work and teamwork.

President Murmu congratulated the trio for opening India's medal account at the Games, expressing her best wishes for their future endeavors.

PM Modi commended their success, stating, "Hard work and teamwork lead to an outstanding result! Proud of Sonam Uttam Maskar, Elavenil Valarivan, and Vidarsa K Vinod for winning the Silver Medal at the Asian Games 2026 in the 10m Air Rifle Women's event. Their success will inspire several athletes in the coming times."

With two silver medals on the first day of shooting competitions, India has made a promising start at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, with hopes high for the men's 10m Air Rifle events on Monday.