Nagoya: India opened its shooting campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 with a double-silver performance, led by Elavenil Valarivan, who claimed two medals in the women’s 10m air rifle events on Sunday.
Elavenil first combined with Sonam Uttam Maskar and Vidarsa K Vinod to win the silver medal in the women’s 10m air rifle team event before returning to the range and securing another silver in the individual competition.
The results gave India its first medals of the 2026 Asian Games and placed the country’s shooting contingent in the spotlight on the opening day of competition.
India wins silver in women’s 10m air rifle team event
The Indian trio of Elavenil, Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod finished second in the women’s 10m air rifle team event with a combined score of 1898.0 points.
China won gold after producing 1904.2 points, while Japan finished third with 1897.1.
China’s score also set a new qualification world record, surpassing the previous mark of 1902.0.
The Indian team held off a strong challenge from the Japanese shooters to secure the silver medal, with the margin between India and Japan just 0.9 points.
For Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod, the medal marked a significant achievement on their Asian Games debut, while Elavenil added another international medal to her growing collection.
Elavenil doubles the silver haul
Elavenil then produced another strong performance in the individual event, finishing second in the women’s 10m air rifle final.
The Indian shooter registered 252.4 points, narrowly missing out on gold to Japan’s Hinata Taichi, who won the title with an Asian Games record score of 253.0.
South Korea’s Hyojin Ban claimed the bronze medal with 230.4 points.
Elavenil remained firmly in contention for gold deep into the final. However, Japan’s Taichi held her nerve in the closing shots to secure the gold medal.
The individual silver was particularly significant as it became Elavenil’s second medal of the day.
PM Modi congratulates Indian shooters
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Sonam Maskar, Elavenil Valarivan and Vidarsa K Vinod after their silver medal in the team event.
In a message posted on X, Modi praised their teamwork and hard work, saying their achievement would inspire athletes in the future.
The Prime Minister also congratulated Elavenil separately after her individual silver, noting that it was her second medal of the day.
“Indian shooters keep making us proud,” Modi said in his message, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya also congratulated Elavenil, Sonam and Vidarsa for their team-event silver and wished the Indian contingent further success at the Games.
A strong start for India’s shooting campaign
The two silver medals provide an early boost to India’s campaign in shooting at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
Elavenil’s double-medal performance was the standout individual effort of the day, while the team silver highlighted the depth of India’s women’s 10m air rifle squad.
The trio’s achievement also marked India’s opening medal success at the Games, setting the tone for the rest of the shooting programme.
With several more shooting events still to come, India’s shooters will now look to build on the strong opening day in Nagoya.
Elavenil’s memorable day
For Elavenil, the day represented a particularly notable achievement. She walked away from the shooting range with two Asian Games silver medals from the same discipline — one in the team event and another in the individual competition.
The 27-year-old, who has represented India at the Olympics and is an Arjuna Award recipient, now adds two Asian Games medals to her international record.
Her performance, alongside the contributions of Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod, has given India an early medal boost at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
