India's Asian Games 2026 Shooting Silvers: Elavenil Valarivan's 0.6-Point Miss and Team Medal

India's First Medals of the Aichi-Nagoya Games

On the opening day of shooting competition at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya on 20 September 2026, India's shooting contingent delivered the country's first medals: a silver in the women's 10m air rifle team event, followed by an individual silver for Elavenil Valarivan.[1]

Elavenil Valarivan: A 0.6‑Point Miss for Gold

Elavenil, the 27‑year‑old senior‑most of the three Indian women in the event, remained in the gold‑medal fight until the closing stages of the 24‑shot final. She finished with 252.4 points, just 0.6 behind Japan's Taichi Hinata, who took gold with 253.0. South Korea's reigning Olympic champion Ban Hyojin took bronze.[1]

According to The Hindu, Elavenil was comfortably on top until the midway stage, but her scores dropped from the high 10s to the low 10s in the decisive shots, allowing Hinata to overhaul her one shot at a time.[3]

Rediff's live report noted that with one shot remaining the gap was just 0.5, and Hinata held her nerve with a 10.2 to clinch gold for the hosts.[2]

Team Silver: How the Trio Performed

Before the individual final, Elavenil had combined with Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod to win silver in the women's 10m air rifle team event with a total of 1,898 points, finishing behind China. That result gave India its first medal of the Aichi-Nagoya Games.[1]

• Elavenil Valarivan: 633.5 in qualification, individual silver (252.4)
• Sonam Maskar: qualified with 634.1, finished sixth in the final (167.0)
• Vidarsa Vinod: shot 630.4 in qualifying, finished 12th

Maskar was notably consistent in qualifying, not scoring below 105 in any of the six series, but a single 9.9 on her 15th shot in the final ended her podium hopes in sixth place.[3]

Why It Matters for India's Campaign

The two silvers were India's first medals on the 2026 Asian Games medal table and underlined the strength of the country's rifle shooting programme. The same day, Suchika Tariyal secured India's first-ever Asian Games medal in MMA, which made its debut at these Games, by reaching the women's traditional 60kg semifinal.[2]

What Comes Next

The narrow margin in the individual final shows how small the gap between gold and silver can be in 10m air rifle. With more shooting events, hockey and other disciplines still to come at Aichi-Nagoya, India's athletes will look to convert podium finishes into golds as the Games progress.