Shooters Sonam, Elavenil fire India to first medal of Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya

India began its medal haul at the 2026 Asian Games with a silver in the women’s 10 m air rifle team event on Sunday, September 20. The shooting contingent’s campaign got off to a flying start for Sonam Uttam Maskar, Elavenil Valarivan and Vidarsa Vinod to win the silver medal in the women’s final.

Sonam and Elavenil impressed as India finished second with a total score of 1898.0 behind a dominant Chinese team that broke the qualifying world record of 1904.2 points. China bettered its previous mark of 1902.0 set at the Asian Championships in Shymkent in August last year, a record that was also an Asian record.

Asian Games Live Updates: 20 September

Little separated India and hosts Japan in the battle for the remaining medals, but the Indians held their nerve when it mattered. Japan finished third with 1897.1, just 0.9 points behind India, after a tense battle for silver.

HOW ARE TEAM MEDALS DECIDED IN SHOOTING?

Team medals are decided based on the qualifying scores of the three shooters, with the overall standings determining the final standings. Sonam, who finished third in the qualifiers, led India with an impressive 634.1. Olympian Elavenil, competing in her third Asian Games, added 633.5 to finish seventh, while Vidarsa, making her Asian Games debut, shot 630.4 to place 12th.

VIDARSA CLUTCH OUT OF POWER

Although Vidarsa missed out on the singles final, her contribution proved crucial in India’s silver finish.

“Yes, it’s a great achievement. Another thing is that I couldn’t qualify for the finals, but the team silver gave us a good start,” Vidarsa told PTI after the event.

The 27-year-old Kerala native showed considerable composure even on the big international stage, insisting she was not overwhelmed by the occasion.

“I wasn’t nervous. I was confident and just focused on shooting,” she said.

Vidarsa’s performance was all the more commendable as she completed the 10m air rifle event only two months ago. Her main discipline is the 50m 3-position rifle, but she quickly adapted to the demands of air rifle and scored to help India keep ahead of Japan in a fiercely contested team battle. Courtesy: NRAI

“I definitely believe I will do a lot better in the 50m 3-position because it’s my main event,” she said.

The day also saw individual final placings for Sonam and Elavenil, giving India another opportunity to add to its medal tally later on Sunday.

Sonam’s third place in the qualifier and Elavenil’s seventh placed both Indians in the final at eight shooters, raising hopes of another medal from the event.

Meanwhile, China has underlined its strength in the discipline. Teenager Wang Zifei, the junior world champion, qualified with an amazing 638.8, setting a new Asian qualifying record. Han Jiyan also reached the final with a score of 633.8 to finish fifth.

China had three shooters in qualifying positions for the final, but as only two athletes from each country could compete in the individual medal round, the third shooter missed out.

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Issued by:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published on:

20 Sep 2026 11:01 AM IST