India Claims First Asian Games 2026 Medal with Silver in 10m Air Rifle Women's Team Event
India opened its medal tally at the Asian Games 2026 in spectacular fashion, securing a prestigious silver medal in the 10m Air Rifle Women's Team event. The trio of Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar, and Vidarsa K. Vinod delivered an impressive collective performance at the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery, ensuring India made its presence felt early in the multi-sport event.
This remarkable victory marks India’s second consecutive silver medal in this specific discipline at the Asian Games, matching their outstanding podium finish from the 2023 edition in Hangzhou.
A Thrilling Podium Battle
The Indian shooting contingent maintained steady focus throughout six tense series of shooting. The team racked up a combined score of 1898.0 points, comfortably holding off stiff competition to claim the second spot on the podium.
China took home the gold medal in dominant fashion as Zifei Wang, Jiayu Han, and Yuchen Du set a brand-new world record aggregate score of 1904.2 points. Host nation Japan—represented by Hinata Taichi, Misaki Nobata, and Shiori Hirata—claimed the bronze medal with a close score of 1897.1 points.
Individual Breakdown: How the Indian Marks women Scored
The team's success was built on consistent, world-class scoring across all three athletes:
- Sonam Maskar: Led the Indian charge with an exceptional score of 634.1.
- Elavenil Valarivan: Showed her veteran composure to deliver a solid 633.5.
- Vidarsa K. Vinod: Anchored the performance with a crucial contribution of 630.4.
Double Delight: Individual Finals Beckon
Beyond the team silver, there was even more reason to celebrate for the Indian contingent. Both Sonam Maskar and Elavenil Valarivan delivered individual qualification performances strong enough to earn them spots in the prestigious 10m Air Rifle individual final later in the day.
- Zifei Wang (China) topped the qualification round with a masterclass score of 636.8.
- Sonam Maskar (India) qualified in a brilliant third position with her 634.1 tally.
- Elavenil Valarivan (India) advanced in seventh position after recording 633.5 points.
"Consistency at the highest level defines world-class shooting. Securing back-to-back Asian Games silver medals reinforces India's growing dominance in target sports."
With a medal already in the bag and individual honors still up for grabs, Indian sports fans have plenty of reason for optimism as the 2026 Asian Games action gets underway.