India opened its medal account at the Asian Games 2026 with a silver medal in the women’s 10m air rifle team event, as Sonam Uttam Maskar, Elavenil Valarivan and Vidarsa Vinod combined to finish second in a closely fought contest on Sunday.
The Indian trio produced a strong collective performance to register an aggregate score of 1898.0 points.
China dominated the qualification round with 1904.2 points, setting a new qualification world record in the process. Japan claimed the bronze medal with 1897.1 points, finishing just 0.9 points behind India.
India Hold Nerve To Secure Silver
The team medals were decided on the basis of the combined qualification scores of the three shooters, making every individual performance crucial. India stayed ahead of hosts Japan by the narrowest of margins to secure the silver medal.
Sonam led the Indian challenge with an impressive 634.1, finishing third in the individual qualification standings. Elavenil, competing at her third Asian Games, scored 633.5 to finish seventh, while Asian Games debutant Vidarsa recorded 630.4 to place 12th.
Although Vidarsa could not make the individual final, her contribution proved vital in India's team-medal finish.
"Yes, it's a great achievement. It's another thing that I could not qualify for the final, but the team silver has given us a good start," Vidarsa said after the event.
Vidarsa Makes An Impact On Asian Games Debut
The 27-year-old shooter from Kerala also displayed impressive composure on her major international debut. Despite the pressure of competing at the Asian Games, Vidarsa remained focused throughout her qualification round.
"I was not nervous. I was confident and just focused on my shooting," she said.
Her performance was particularly notable because she had taken up the 10m air rifle event only two months ago. Her principal discipline is the 50m rifle 3-positions event, but she adapted quickly to the air rifle format and produced a score that helped India edge Japan.
"I am definitely confident that I will do much better in 50m 3-positions as it is my main event," Vidarsa added.
Sonam And Elavenil Reach Individual Final
India's medal hopes did not end with the team event. Sonam's third-place qualification finish and Elavenil's seventh-place showing earned both shooters places in the eight-shooter individual final.
China once again underlined its strength in the event, with teenager Wang Zifei topping qualification with a stunning 638.8, setting a new qualification Asian record. Han Jiyan also made the final after scoring 633.8.
China had three shooters among the qualification spots, but only two athletes from each country could compete in the individual medal round.
India Begin Shooting Campaign With Silver
The opening-day silver provides India with an encouraging start to its shooting campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
At the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, Indian shooters produced a record haul of 22 medals, seven gold, nine silver and six bronze.
With inputs from PTI.