AICHI-NAGOYA, September 20: India opened its medal account at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan with a silver in the women’s 10m air rifle team event, as Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod K combined for a score of 1898.0 points on Sunday. China won gold with a world-record 1904.2, while hosts Japan claimed bronze with 1897.1.
India Win First Medal of Asian Games 2026
The shooting trio delivered India’s first confirmed medal of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on the opening full day of medal competition.
Their combined qualification score of 1898.0 secured second place, giving India an early silver medal in its shooting campaign.
India finished only 0.9 points ahead of Japan, making the battle for silver particularly close.
China Take Gold With World Record
China dominated the team competition with a total score of 1904.2 points.
The Chinese trio of Wang Zifei, Han Jiayu and Du Yechen produced a new world record, surpassing the previous mark of 1902.0 set by another Chinese team at the Asian Championships last year.
Japan finished third with 1897.1 points, narrowly behind India.
Sonam Maskar Leads India’s Qualification
Sonam Maskar was India’s highest scorer in the qualification round, shooting 634.1 points to finish fourth individually.
Olympian Elavenil Valarivan followed with 633.5 points, placing seventh in qualification.
Their performances helped India maintain second position in the team standings.
Sonam and Elavenil Reach Individual Final
Both Sonam Maskar and Elavenil Valarivan qualified among the top eight shooters for the women’s 10m air rifle individual final scheduled later on Sunday.
The individual final gives India another opportunity to add to its medal tally on the same day.
Vidarsa Vinod contributed to the team silver but did not qualify among the top eight for the individual medal round.
Strong Start for Indian Shooting Team
India has sent a 30-member shooting contingent to the 2026 Asian Games, with athletes competing across 28 shooting events during the competition.
Shooting has traditionally been one of India’s major medal-producing disciplines at multi-sport events, placing considerable attention on the contingent in Aichi-Nagoya.
The women’s rifle silver provides the team with early momentum as pistol, rifle and shotgun competitions continue over the coming days.
India Have Busy Day Across Asian Games
September 20 is a packed day for the Indian contingent.
Along with shooting, India is competing in women’s cricket, men’s and women’s hockey, badminton, table tennis, swimming, teqball, wushu and mixed martial arts.
India’s women’s cricket team is also facing Bangladesh in the semifinal, while both hockey teams begin their respective campaigns on Sunday.
Asian Games Run Until October 4
The 20th Asian Games are being held in Japan’s Aichi-Nagoya region from September 19 to October 4.
India entered the Games looking to build on its record medal performance at the previous Asian Games, with shooting again expected to contribute significantly to the overall tally.
The silver earned by Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod has now officially put India on the medal table at Aichi-Nagoya 2026.
source – Asian Games / The Indian Express / Olympics.com / PTI
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