Elavenil Valarivan, a 2025 World Championship bronze medallist, finished second in the individual women’s 10m air‑rifle final with 252.4 points, just 0.6 points behind Japan’s Hinata Taichi, who set an Asian Games record of 253.0.
Valarivan had led the final for most of the competition, holding a 1.4‑point advantage after the 17th shot and remaining ahead of Taichi by 0.2 after the 21st, before the pressure of the last two shots saw her slip to second place.
In the team event, Valarivan, Sonam Uttam Maskar and debutant Vidarsa Vinod combined for 1,898.0 points, earning India a silver medal behind China, which posted a new qualification world record of 1,904.2.
Maskar topped the Indian qualification round with 634.1, Valarivan contributed 633.5 and Vinod added 630.4, the latter having taken up the 10m air‑rifle discipline only two months earlier.
China’s depth was evident as junior world champion Wang Zifei set a new qualification Asian record of 638.8, while teammate Han Jiyan also qualified for the individual final with 633.8.
South Korea’s Ban Hyo‑jin, the reigning world champion and Paris Olympic gold medallist, took bronze in the individual event with a score of 230.4.
Valarivan, competing in her first Asian Games individual podium after appearances in Jakarta 2018 and Hangzhou 2022, said she may have relaxed after gaining a top‑three position and will work on final‑stage composure.
Vinod, a 27‑year‑old from Kerala, expressed confidence despite missing the individual final, noting that her performance bodes well for her primary event, the 50m rifle three‑positions.
India’s double‑silver start follows a record haul of 22 medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2022, raising expectations for the remainder of the shooting programme at the 2026 Games.