Indian shooter Elavenil Valarivan added another silver medal to India’s tally at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026, producing a strong performance in the women’s 10m air rifle individual final.
Valarivan had already helped India secure silver in the women’s 10m air rifle team event earlier on September 20. She then returned to the range for the individual final and finished with another silver, giving her two medals on the opening day of India’s Asian Games campaign.
In the individual final, Valarivan scored 252.4 points. Japan’s Hinata Taichi claimed gold with 253.0 points, setting an Asian Games record, while South Korea’s Ban Hyojin won bronze.
Valarivan remained in contention for the gold medal for most of the final. After 20 shots, she held a narrow lead, but Hinata moved ahead during the closing stages. The Japanese shooter eventually finished just 0.6 points ahead of the Indian.
The result marks an important Asian Games milestone for Valarivan, who secured her first Asian Games medals with two silver-medal finishes on the same day. Her two-medal performance also helped India make an early mark on the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
The Indian shooting contingent had earlier secured the first silver of the day in the women’s 10m air rifle team event, with Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod finishing second behind China.
The two medals marked Elavenil’s first Asian Games medals, ending an eight-year wait since her Asian Games debut. Her performance gave India an early boost in the shooting competition at Aichi-Nagoya.
The Indian government also congratulated Elavenil on her individual silver. Prime Minister Narendra Modi noted that it was her second medal of the day and praised Indian shooters for their performance at the Games.
Elavenil’s double-silver performance has made her one of the early highlights of India’s campaign at the 2026 Asian Games, with the Indian shooting contingent continuing its strong start in Aichi-Nagoya.