Elavenil Valarivan Wins Silver in Women's 10m Air Rifle at Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026

Elavenil's Silver Medal Achievement

Indian shooter Elavenil Valarivan secured a silver medal in the women's 10m air rifle final at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 on Sunday. This achievement marks a continuation of India's impressive performance in shooting at this continental competition. Elavenil finished in second place, trailing Japan's Hinata Taichi, who took home the gold, while South Korea's Ban Hyojin claimed the bronze.

The Final Showdown

Elavenil showcased her skills by taking the lead early in the final, scoring 53.1 in the first series. Her fellow Indian competitor, Sonam Maskar, ended her opening series with a score of 52.1, placing her seventh.

After ten shots, Elavenil maintained her lead with a total of 106.0, while Sonam recorded 104.2, putting her in joint fifth position.

As the elimination rounds commenced, Elavenil continued her strong performance, starting with a 10.6 on her first shot, followed by a 10.3. Sonam also performed well, hitting a 10.6 and a 10.7. After twelve shots, Elavenil led with 126.9, while Sonam was fourth with 125.4, resulting in the elimination of South Korea's Yuna Kwan.

Maintaining Dominance

Elavenil kept her momentum in the final stages, scoring 10.8 and 10.7 in her next two shots, extending her lead to 148.4 after fourteen shots. Sonam was in fourth place at this point, while China's Jiayu Han was eliminated.

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

Continuing her excellent performance, Elavenil achieved a score of 10.6 in her 17th shot and 10.1 in her 18th, leading with 190.3 points.

Final Moments

After twenty shots, Elavenil held a score of 211.1, closely followed by Japan's Hinata Taichi at 210.8.

In the 21st shot, Elavenil scored 10.5, keeping her in contention for a medal, but Hinata and Ban Hyojin were close behind. After 22 shots, Elavenil slipped to second place with a score of 231.9, just behind Hinata's 232.2. In the final shot, Elavenil scored 10.1, while Hinata secured the gold with a score of 10.2, leaving Elavenil with a well-deserved silver.

Other Indian Highlights

Earlier in the competition, India began its medal tally at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with a silver in the women's 10m air rifle team event, where Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar, and Vidarsa Vinod finished second.

In other events, Suchika Tariyal earned a medal in women's traditional 60kg MMA by defeating Mongolia's Altanchimeg Baigalmaa in the quarterfinals. Additionally, India's women's hockey team kicked off their campaign with a remarkable 19-0 victory over Uzbekistan.

The women's table tennis team also achieved a 3-0 win against Indonesia in their Group F match.