Aichi: India women’s 10m air rifle team clinched a silver medal, marking India’s first medal win at the Asian Games 2026 on Sunday.
The trio of Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Kochalumkal accumulated 1897 points in the 16-team event to finish second behind China here at the Aichi Pref. General Shooting Gallery.
China bagged gold with a world-record score of 1904.2, while hosts Japan won bronze with 1897.1.
This was India’s first medal win at the Asiad 2026, although India had already secured their first medal when Suchika Tariyal moved into the semifinals of the Mixed Martial Arts Traditional 60kg earlier in the day.
Meanwhile, India’s Elavenil and Sonam have also moved into the final of the individual event after putting on a strong show in the individual qualification. Sonam was third in the 57-athlete field and tallied 634.1 points, while Elavenil was seventh with a score of 633.5. The third Indian, Vidarsa, finished 12th with a score of 630.4.
At the end of the first series, the trio combined to tally 316.9 points. The second series saw them tally 316.8 points, while they produced an even better show in the third series. The trio combined to shoot 317.9 points as they kept putting on a strong show and tallied 951.6.
At the end of the fourth series, the Indian trio tallied 1267.8 points after accumulating 316.2 in the fourth series. They dropped down in the penultimate fifth series to tally 314.8 before accumulating a score of 315.4 in the final series to finish at 1898, 0.9 clear of the third-placed Japan.
Valarivan is a two-time gold medallist at the ISSF World Cup, winning the yellow metal in the 2019 and 2023 World Cups. Sonam is a triple silver medal winner at the ISSF World Cup Final, winning the titles in 2024.
Indian shooters had won a record 22 medals at the 2023 Asian Games, including seven gold, nine silver and six bronze.
–IANS
