India kicked off its campaign at the Asian Games 2026 in style, with the women’s 10m Air Rifle team claiming the country’s first medal of the Games in Nagoya, Japan. Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar, and Vidarsa Vinod combined for a total score of 1898.0 points to win silver in the team event at the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery, setting the tone for what turned into a memorable opening day for Indian shooting.
China topped the podium with a world-record score of 1904.2, while hosts Japan settled for bronze. Among the Indian trio, Sonam Maskar led the charge with a score of 634.1, followed closely by Elavenil Valarivan at 633.5 and Vidarsa Vinod at 630.4 — a tightly contested effort that was enough to secure India’s spot on the podium.
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Elavenil Doubles Up With Individual Silver
Elavenil Valarivan’s day was far from over after the team event. She went on to compete in the individual final, where she battled to the very end before finishing just 0.6 points behind Japan’s Hinata Taichi, settling for her second silver medal of the day. Elavenil had led for much of the competition, making the narrow final margin all the more dramatic for Indian fans following the action from Nagoya.
The individual silver marks Elavenil’s first individual medal at the Asian Games, adding to a growing list of career achievements that already includes an Asian record score of 253.6 in the discipline. Combined with the team silver, it gives her two medals on the Games’ opening day of competition.
Event Summary
| Category | Result |
|---|---|
| Event | 10m Air Rifle — Women’s Team & Individual |
| Venue | Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery, Nagoya, Japan |
| Team result | Silver — India (1898.0 points) |
| Team gold | China (1904.2, world record) |
| Team bronze | Japan |
| Individual result | Silver — Elavenil Valarivan (0.6 points behind gold) |
| Individual gold | Hinata Taichi (Japan) |
| Indian scores | Sonam Maskar 634.1, Elavenil Valarivan 633.5, Vidarsa Vinod 630.4 |
Why This Matters
A two-medal haul on the very first day is a strong signal of intent from the Indian shooting contingent heading into the rest of the 2026 Asian Games. Indian shooters have consistently been among the country’s most reliable medal sources at major multi-sport events, and this early success in the 10m air rifle discipline adds further momentum to that reputation.
With the shooting range already delivering for Team India, all eyes now turn to the rest of the competition schedule as the contingent looks to build on this promising start.
Stay with TechnoSports for full coverage of Team India’s journey at the Asian Games 2026 in our sports section.
Source: 1rank Digital on LinkedIn; background via Wikipedia
