Asian Games: India wins first medal, silver in women's 10m air rifle

Shooter Vidarsha Vinod, along with Elavenil Valarivan and Sonam Maskar, won India's first medal at the Asian Games, securing a silver in the women's 10m air rifle team event. Vidarsha dedicated her medal to her coach, Manoj Kumar.

Following her medal win in the team event at the Asian Games in the women's 10 m air rifle team event, Indian shooter Vidarsha Vinod expressed happiness at her feat and dedicated her medal to her coach.

Vidarsha, teaming up with Elavenil Valarivan and Sonam Maskar, sealed India's first medal at the Asian Games. The Indian trio scored 1898.0 points to win silver, finishing behind China, which claimed gold with a world-record 1904.2 points. Host Japan took bronze with 1897.1 points.

Shooter Opens Up on Difficult Journey

Speaking to ANI after the medal win, Vidarsha said, "I am so happy and so grateful that we have this medal. We got the medal for India, for our country, so I am so proud."

"It took almost eight years to come here to compete at this level. The journey was very difficult; I had to make a lot of sacrifices, a lot of... I had to face a lot of failures. So the journey was very difficult for me, but I was not ready to give up. That is how I am here," she added.

Medal Dedicated to Coach and Family

She dedicated her medal to her coach Manoj Kumar, calling him the "person behind her success".

"I am dedicating my medal first to my coach, Manoj Kumar sir. He is the person behind my success. Second, to my parents, my family, my husband, and my brother. So I am dedicating it to them. And thirdly, to my sponsors: Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ), Sports Authority of India (SAI), National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), and everybody who was there for me," she signed off.

Husband's Support a Key Factor

Her husband, Manu has been one of her biggest support systems throughout her career. Speaking to ANI, the shooter's husband also reflected on their journey and how he supported her.

"First of all, it feels really good because this is the result of a lot of hard work over a long period. We worked hard for so much time. She was in Delhi for quite a long time, and her coach, Manoj sir, also helped us a lot. Because of all this, she got this medal, and I am very happy," said Manu.

"I kept supporting her continuously. My full support was with her, and that is why she reached this point. I am also a shooter and an athlete, but right now I am working as a coach in Kerala. First, we dedicate this medal to the coach, Manoj sir, then to our parents, and to everyone who helped us, and of course, to India," he signed off.

India's Strong Start at the Games

The result marked India’s first confirmed medal at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya. Earlier, MMA fighter Suchika Tariyal became the first Indian athlete to secure a medal by advancing to the semifinals of the women’s Traditional MMA 60kg competition, where both losing semifinalists are awarded bronze medals.

Also, the Indian shooter Elavenil Valarivan clinched the silver medal in the women's 10m air rifle final at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 on Sunday, continuing India's strong start in shooting at the continental event. Elavenil finished second behind Japan's Hinata Taichi, who won the gold medal, while South Korea's Ban Hyojin secured the bronze medal.

(ANI)

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