India's first medals of the 2026 Asian Games came from the shooting range on Sunday, 20 September, and they came in the same event twice. The women's 10m air rifle team of Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod won silver behind a world-record performance from China. Later in the day, Elavenil returned for the individual final and won a second silver, edged out by Japan's Hinata Taichi in a duel that was settled in the final shots. Two medals on the second day of the Games, in a discipline where India has long been strong, was the start the contingent wanted.
At a glance
- Team event: India won silver with 1,898.0 points (Sonam Maskar 634.1, Elavenil Valarivan 633.5, Vidarsa Vinod 630.4). China took gold with a world-record 1,904.2 and Japan bronze with 1,897.1.
- Individual final: Hinata Taichi (Japan) gold with 253.0, an Asian Games record; Elavenil Valarivan (India) silver with 252.4; Ban Hyojin (South Korea) bronze with 230.4.
- Margin: 0.6 of a point between gold and silver. India's Sonam Maskar finished sixth in the final with 167.0.
- Why it matters: India's first medals of the 2026 Asian Games, won at Aichi-Nagoya on Sunday, 20 September.
A note on sourcing: this account is put together from several published reports of the day. Where they disagree on a number, this article says so instead of choosing one. Official results should be treated as final.
The team event: a world record just ahead of India
The Indian trio finished on 1,898.0 points. The scores of the three add up exactly to that total: Sonam Maskar 634.1, Elavenil Valarivan 633.5 and Vidarsa Vinod 630.4. China won gold with 1,904.2, reported as a world-record score, a margin of 6.2 points over India. Japan took bronze, reported on 1,897.1, so India finished less than a point clear of third place.
Spread across three shooters, the gap to China is about two points each over a 60-shot qualification, which is small in absolute terms and decisive in a sport where a single shot is worth at most 10.9. India's strongest stretch, according to one report, was the third of the six series, when the trio combined for 317.9.
Two points per shooter separated silver from a world record. That is the width of one bad shot.
Qualification: two Indians into the final
The same scores decided who reached the individual final. According to one report, Sonam Maskar qualified third with 634.1 and Elavenil seventh with 633.5, and both advanced. Vidarsa's 630.4 was not enough for the final; reports differ on her exact ranking, with one placing her ninth and another twelfth, so this article does not give one.
Speaking after the team event, Vidarsa described how she handled the pressure: recognising that “the time is the same, the procedure is the same” as in any other competition. She credited two training camps in Delhi and support from the team, and said the coaching staff had prioritised helping the shooters enjoy competing over adding pressure. She also said the first day had brought difficulties with accommodation and logistics, which were resolved by Sunday.
The individual final: led for most of it, beaten at the end
The final is where the day turned dramatic. Elavenil led after the opening series, reported at 53.1, and held her position for most of the match. At 22 shots she was on 231.9 and Japan's Hinata Taichi on 232.2, with Hinata having moved ahead in the closing stages. Hinata's 10.2 on the final shot took her to 253.0, an Asian Games record, and secured the gold. Elavenil finished on 252.4. South Korea's Ban Hyojin, described in reports as the reigning Olympic champion, took bronze with 230.4, and India's Sonam Maskar finished sixth with 167.0.
The margin was 0.6 of a point, 253.0 to 252.4. Air rifle finals are scored in tenths of a point, so that is six tenths, and over 24 shots a single slightly weaker shot can decide who takes the gold. Elavenil had been in control for much of the match, and it was reported as her first individual medal at the Asian Games.
Six tenths of a point separated silver from an Asian Games record.
Who Elavenil is
Elavenil Valarivan is 27. She was born on 2 August 1999 in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, and studied at Gujarat University. She has competed at two Olympic Games, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, and is an Arjuna Award winner (2022). In World Cups she has four golds, including the 2019 Putian World Cup Final and the 2023 Rio de Janeiro World Cup. At the World Championships in Cairo she won team bronze in 2022, and team and individual bronze in 2025. Sunday's individual silver was reported as her first individual medal at the Asian Games.
The wider picture
India's shooters had a memorable Asian Games in the last edition, held in 2023, winning 22 medals: seven gold, nine silver and six bronze. That sets the bar for this contingent, and Sunday is a good beginning. The team silver was also India's first medal of the Games in any sport, a small but useful lift for a squad that reported logistical difficulties on the first day.
The Games run until 4 October at Aichi-Nagoya, and India's shooters have more events ahead. Medal tallies will change by the day, so readers wanting the current count should check the official Games site. What can be said now is that the women's rifle group has delivered the first two medals of the campaign, and that a world-record performance from China is a reminder of the standard at the top of the sport.
