India claimed its first medals at the Asian Games 2026 in Japan, led by Elavenil Valarivan capturing silver in the women’s 10-meter air rifle event. The opening day at the Aichi-Nagoya venues also featured a team silver performance, as Indian shooters opened the nation’s medal account.
The international sports calendar reached a major milestone as the Asian Games opened competition across the Aichi-Nagoya region of Japan. With events officially underway following the opening ceremony, the shooting delegation delivered the nation’s earliest podium finishes.
Elavenil Valarivan Secures Individual Silver in 10-Meter Air Rifle
Shooting standout Elavenil Valarivan marked her appearance at the Games by securing a silver medal in the women’s 10-meter air rifle final.
The top of the podium went to Japan’s Hinata Taichi, who secured the gold medal with a score of 253.0. South Korea’s Hyojin Ban claimed the bronze medal with 230.4 points. Meanwhile, compatriot Sonam Uttam Maskar finished sixth in the individual final with 167.0 points.
Team Silver Opens India’s Medal Count
The three shooters tallied a combined total of 1898.0 points to take second place.
The team silver required steady nerves during a tight battle against the host nation. Japan finished third with 1897.1 points, falling just 0.9 points behind the Indian team. Team rankings in the event are determined by the combined qualifying scores of all three participating shooters.
China Sets New World Record in Team Gold Run
While India and Japan battled for the remaining podium spots, the Chinese team claimed the gold medal with a dominant performance. China posted a total of 1904.2 points to establish a new world record for the discipline.
The gold-medal performance surpassed China’s previous benchmark of 1902.0 points, which the team had set at the Asian Championships in Shymkent in August of the previous year. In the individual qualifying rounds preceding the finals, Maskar led the Indian contingent with an impressive score of 634.1, while Valarivan shot 633.5 and debutant Vidarsa recorded 630.
Gujarat Representation Reaches Record High
While the 2014 Asian Games featured representation from the state, the 2026 roster includes nine selected athletes and one high-value reserve.
The selected contingent features athletes across multiple disciplines, including table tennis players Harmeet Desai, Manav Thakkar, and Manush Shah, soft tennis player Aniket Patel, Taranveer Aryan Nehra, tennis players Ankita Raina and Vaidehi Chaudhari, sprinter Devyani Jhala, and shooter Elavenil Valarivan. Tennis player Jeel Desai was selected as a reserve. Observers attribute the expanding talent pipeline to long-term regional sports initiatives established during past state administrations.