1 day ago
India Wins First Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Medal in Shooting
At the Asian Games in Nagoya, three Indian women competed together in shooting.
They won a silver medal in the women’s 10m air rifle team event.
This became India’s first medal of the Games.
China won gold, while Japan won bronze.
Elavenil began shooting after trying a rifle borrowed from a friend’s daughter.
Sonam first tried the sport as a college hobby, and her father sold property to help pay for equipment.
Vidarsa discovered shooting through the NCC and trained with borrowed equipment before receiving more support.
Their very different journeys came together in one medal for India.
Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod won silver in the women’s 10m air rifle team event.
India scored 1898 points, behind China’s Games-record 1904.2 and ahead of Japan’s 1897.1.
Elavenil began shooting after trying a friend’s daughter’s rifle and later became a two-time Olympian.
Sonam took up shooting as a college hobby, with her father selling family property to fund equipment.
Vidarsa started through the NCC, trained on borrowed equipment and moved to Delhi before reaching the national centre of excellence.
- Who
- Indian shooters Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod.
- What
- They won the silver medal in the women’s 10m air rifle team event.
- Where
- Nagoya, at a shooting range near Toyota City, Japan.
- When
- Sunday during the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026.
- Why
- Their combined score of 1898 points placed India second behind China and ahead of Japan.
Key facts
- Medal
- Silver
- Event
- Women’s 10m air rifle team event
- India’s score
- 1898 points
- Gold medalist
- China, with 1904.2 points
- Bronze medalist
- Japan, with 1897.1 points
- Top Indian score
- Sonam Maskar scored 634.1 points
- Senior team member
- Elavenil Valarivan, 27
- Potential next event
- Vidarsa Vinod’s stronger event is the 3-position competition
Quotes
Deepali Deshpande
Indian rifle coach quoted before the Games
“India’s depth in rifle and pistol events makes us a force in not just Asia but also the world. That depth is the reason we can be hopeful of team medals in most shooting events at the Asian Games.”
indianexpress.com
“I can’t imagine reaching this far without that decision my father took. It was a very big sacrifice. After that, I just kept going.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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