Asian Games 2026: Elavenil Valarivan Wins Silver in 10m Air Rifle

Nagoya: Indian shooter Elavenil Valarivan clinched the silver medal in the women’s 10m air rifle individual event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 on Sunday, September 20.

Valarivan produced a strong and consistent performance throughout the final and was in contention for the gold medal for much of the competition. However, she was unable to maintain her lead in the decisive stages as Japan’s Hinata Taichi surged ahead to claim the top position.

Hinata finished with a Games-record score of 253 points, while Valarivan secured silver with 252.4 points, missing out on gold by just 0.6 points. South Korea’s Hyo-jin Ban took the bronze medal with a score of 230.4 points. The result adds another medal to India’s shooting campaign at the 2026 Asian Games and marks Valarivan’s second medal of the Games.

Valarivan Adds Second Medal in Nagoya
Valarivan had earlier helped India secure silver in the women’s 10m air rifle team event alongside Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Kochlumkal Vinod. Her individual silver therefore becomes her second medal at the Asian Games in Nagoya, underlining her consistency across both the team and individual competitions. India’s Sonam Maskar also competed in the individual final but finished sixth with a total of 167 points. Eight shooters contested the final.

Another Medal for India in Shooting
Valarivan’s silver strengthens India’s medal tally in shooting at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. The discipline has once again emerged as an important contributor to India’s campaign, with Indian shooters competing across multiple events. For Valarivan, the individual silver represents a strong finish after a closely fought final in which she remained firmly in medal contention until the closing stages. Japan’s Hinata ultimately held her nerve to finish at the top of the standings, while Valarivan settled for silver after a narrow six-tenths-of-a-point difference.