Asian Games 2026: India Open Medal Account With Silver In Women's 10m Air Rifle Team Shooting

New Delhi: India opened its medal account at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Sunday, with the women’s 10m air rifle team securing a silver medal and Suchika Tariyal assuring another medal in the women’s traditional 60kg MMA event.

Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod combined to finish second in the women’s 10m air rifle team event, giving India its first medal of the Games. The Indian trio recorded a team total of 1898 points, finishing behind China, while Japan finished fourth.

Elavenil produced a standout performance with 633.5 points and also booked her place in the individual final. Sonam Maskar also progressed to the individual final.

Vidarsa Vinod, who finished ninth in the women’s 10m air rifle individual qualifying and team final, said she was delighted to have the opportunity to compete at the Asian Games and satisfied with her performance.

“I feel great to have got the opportunity to participate in the Asian Games. Today, I competed in the 10-metre air rifle event and gave my best. I’m really happy with my performance,” Vidarsa told ANI.

The shooter said she had initially expected to feel pressure at the Asian Games but managed to overcome it by treating the competition like any other event.

“I was expecting to feel a lot of pressure, but I didn’t. I was just enjoying the competition. Initially, I did feel a little pressure, but then I realised that this is just like any other competition. The time is the same, the procedure is the same, and I just have to follow it. Once I realised that, the pressure went away, and I was able to simply enjoy the competition,” she added.

Vidarsa credited the Indian team’s preparation and training camps in Delhi for helping her remain relaxed and feel mentally and physically ready for the competition.

“The team we have never puts pressure on us. They prepared us very well, and we also had two camps in Delhi, where the focus was not on putting pressure on us but on helping us enjoy the competition and give our best. That preparation helped me feel mentally and physically ready for the competition. I felt well prepared when I came here, and I’m feeling really good,” she said.

Vidarsa also spoke about some initial difficulties with accommodation and arrangements on the first day of the Games but said the situation had since settled.

“Yeah, the first day was a little difficult for us because we had a lot of expectations and there were some initial challenges. But now everything is fine. It was just the first day. We have the buses arranged now, the accommodation is good, and everything has settled down. So, overall, things are going well,” she concluded.

Meanwhile, India also secured another medal through Suchika Tariyal in the women’s traditional 60kg MMA event. Suchika defeated Altanchimeg Baigalmaa to book her place in the semifinal and assure herself of a medal.

Baigalmaa came out aggressively in the second and final round, attempting to turn the contest around, but Suchika’s defence held firm under sustained pressure. As her opponent continued to attack, Suchika produced a crucial reversal and took Baigalmaa to the ground.

She maintained control until the end of the round, doing enough to secure the victory and advance to the semifinal.

With the shooting team’s silver and Suchika’s assured medal, India has made a strong start to its medal campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

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