Elavenil Valarivan's family celebrated her historic Asian Games silver medals, saying 12 years of dedication, sacrifice and support from coaches and authorities finally brought her long-awaited success.
Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Niraj Kumar, and Rudrankksh Patil combined for a strong team silver in the men's 50m rifle 3 positions event at the Asian Games on Friday.
India will take on Pakistan in the table tennis men's and women's team event at the Asian Games on Monday.
This article provides a comprehensive schedule of Indian athletes participating in various events at the Asian Games on September 20.
Young Indian shooters Himanshu Dhillon and Rudrankksh Patil secured individual silver and bronze medals respectively in the men's 10m air rifle event at the Asian Games. They also combined with Parth Mane to win a team silver, contributing significantly to India's medal tally in shooting.
Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana sponsored a rifle for Asian Championship gold medallist Meghana Sajjanar, enabling her to access world-class equipment and achieve success. Sajjanar, who recently won gold and bronze medals, credited Khurrana's support for her improved performance, highlighting his selfless act to promote Indian athletes on the global stage.
Vidarsa K Vinod has become the first female sportsperson from Keralam to win a medal in a shooting event, securing a silver in the women's 10 meter air rifle team event at the 20th Asian Games. This achievement marks a significant milestone for the state and for Vinod, who began shooting in 2018.
Himanshu Dhillon, on his 21st birthday, won the silver medal in the men's 10m air rifle at the Asian Games.
Indian shooters Suruchi Singh and Kamaljeet secured a gold medal in the 10m air pistol mixed team event at the Asian Games, demonstrating a strong comeback after individual disappointments. Additionally, the men's 50m rifle 3 positions team, comprising Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Rudrankksh Patil, and Niraj Kumar, earned a silver medal, with Tomar and Niraj also qualifying for individual finals.
India has opened its Asian Games medal tally with two silvers in shooting, driven by Elavenil Valarivan's performance, and secured an unexpected podium finish in Mixed Martial Arts. The women's cricket team also advanced to the finals, aiming for a second consecutive gold.
Indian para-shooter Mona Agarwal has secured a quota place for the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympic Games by winning a silver medal in the 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 event at the WSPS World Championships in Changwon, South Korea. While Avani Lekhara won bronze in the same event, only the top two finishers secured quotas. Agarwal and Lekhara also combined to win a team gold.
India has dispatched a formidable contingent, including Olympic medallists Manu Bhaker and Swapnil Kusale, to the ISSF World Cup in Hangzhou, China.
Indian para shooters Manish Narwal and Shrishti Arora won silver and bronze respectively in the 10m air pistol SH1 events at the Asian Para Games in Nagoya. Narwal's silver also secured a quota place for India at the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics, making him the third Indian para shooter to do so. The contingent now has four medals.
Indian air rifle shooter Elavenil Valarivan secured a silver medal at the Asian Games, despite initially leading the final. She expressed contentment with the result, viewing it as a crucial learning experience focused on process over outcome. This marks her third consecutive individual silver at major Asian competitions, and she also contributed to India's team silver. The medal holds personal significance as her first at the Asian Games, achieved after eight years, and she credits her coach's guidance.
Indian shooter Aishwary Pratap Singh Chauhan's quest for an individual medal at the Asian Games was hampered by a malfunctioning match button during the 50m rifle 3-position final. The technical glitch disrupted his concentration and cost him crucial points in the prone series, leading to a fifth-place finish despite being a strong medal contender.
India is set to begin its Asian Games shooting campaign in Nagoya with a formidable 30-member squad, featuring Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker and other world-class performers. The team aims to build on its previous success, with strong prospects in rifle, pistol, and shotgun events, facing a significant challenge from China.
Indian pistol and rifle shooters are determined to continue their winning streak at the ISSF World Cup in Granada, Spain, despite missing key players.
Paris Olympian Arjun Babuta clinched the silver medal, narrowly missing out on gold, in the men's 10 metres Air Rifle event at the ISSF World Cup in Lima, Peru.
India continued to add to its medal tally at the Asian Games, primarily through shooting, but a gold medal remained elusive. Suchika Tariyal secured India's first-ever MMA medal, a bronze, despite a heartbreaking weigh-in technicality. Other sports like badminton, hockey, and table tennis saw strong performances, while swimming faced disappointment.
Narmada Nithin Raju claimed the gold medal in the women's 10m air rifle with a new national record score of 254.4.
Indian rifle shooters Sonam Uttam Maskar and Himanshu Dhillon have won a bronze medal in the 10m air rifle mixed team event at the ISSF World Cup in Hangzhou. This medal brings India's total tally to four, including one gold, one silver, and two bronze. Both athletes expressed confidence and motivation from this achievement, with Himanshu marking his maiden senior World Cup podium.
India commenced its Asian Para Games campaign with a spectacular performance, securing 11 medals, including four gold, across various sports on Monday. Notable victories came from shooter Mona Agarwal, long jumper Nishad Kumar, middle-distance runner Soumya, and javelin thrower Rinku, with archer Sheetal Devi also setting world records. The medal haul places India fourth in the overall standings.
Eighteen-year-old Indian shooter Parth Mane secured a silver medal in the men's 10m air rifle team event at the Asian Games, marking his senior continental debut.
The first gold medal of the competition went to Italy's Danilo Sollazzo in the men's 10m Air Rifle, beating Slovakia's Patrik Jany 16-14. Jani is a Tokyo Olympics finalist. Czech Republic's Jiri Privratsky won bronze.
Abhinav Bindra, India's first individual Olympic gold medallist, reflected on the 18th anniversary of his historic win at the Beijing Olympics, stating, 'Life since has taught me that the spaces between the peaks matter just as much.'
Railways' Sonam Uttam Maskar won gold in the women's 10m air rifle event at the Kumar Surendra Singh Memorial Shooting Championship, with Elavenil Valarivan taking silver. Tilottama Sen, Sanvi R.P. also secured titles in junior and youth categories respectively.
The skeet team, comprising Angad Vir Bajwa (121), Anant Jeet Singh Naruka (120), and Gurjoat Khangura (115), finished in 14th place with an overall score of 356.
India experienced a day of mixed results at the Asian Games, securing a shooting gold medal through Suruchi Singh and Kamaljeet, and a silver in 10,000m for Gulveer Singh. However, the unexpected early exit of top badminton men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty came as a significant setback, while other sports like Kabaddi, Squash, and Table Tennis saw Indian athletes advance or win medals.
A video showing a senior woman IPS officer, Ankita Sharma, firing an AK-47 during a traditional Shastra Puja on Dussehra in Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh, has gone viral. The incident has ignited a debate over weapon handling protocols and safety, with some defending her actions as tradition while others, including military experts, criticised the perceived recklessness.
Indian shooter Rudrankksh Patil secured a bronze medal at the Asian Games in the men's 10m air rifle event, expressing mixed feelings about his performance and a long-standing frustration over not receiving the Arjuna Award despite his world champion status and multiple achievements. He also reflected on past setbacks and the mental challenges of elite sport.
Indian shooting contingent members, including Elavenil Valarivan, Mairaj Ahmad Khan, Anantjit Singh Naruka, and Raiza Dhillon, received a warm welcome upon their return to Delhi after winning medals at the Asian Games. Elavenil expressed confidence despite missing gold, highlighting her win against world and Olympic champions.
India's foreign trap shooting coach, Peter Wilson, has voiced his disappointment over the exclusion of World Championship bronze medallist Zorawar Singh from the Asian Games squad. Wilson highlighted Zorawar's calibre and the "great shame" of his omission, attributing it largely to the National Rifle Association of India's (NRAI) selection policy which prioritises domestic trials over international results. He also addressed the Indian shotgun team's recent poor World Cup performances and discussed the need for systemic changes to improve access to shotgun shooting in India.
Sonam Maskar, a silver medallist in the women's 10m air rifle team event, has expressed her ambition to secure a quota place for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics at the upcoming ISSF World Championship in Doha. She also reflected on her journey, highlighting financial struggles and her father's support. The article also features kabaddi player Raj Rani, who won a gold medal at the Asian Games, sharing her joy and acknowledging her father's role in her success.
This was India's third gold of the competition -- India are now in second position in the medals tally, with a silver and two bronze medals.
Olympic medallist Gagan Narang has paid an emotional tribute to fellow shooter Nana Patekar, who passed away in Goa, remembering him as 'a dear friend and a truly great human being' who deeply loved the sport.
India faces a challenging Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya with a significantly smaller contingent of 168 athletes, down from 303. While aiming to build on its record 111-medal haul from the last Games, selection disputes in para-shooting and para-cycling, coupled with reduced athlete numbers in key disciplines like para-athletics, pose hurdles. Despite these challenges, star athletes across para-athletics, archery, para-badminton, shooting, and table tennis are expected to lead India's medal charge.
Vidarsa K Vinod, a 27-year-old rifle shooter from Kozhikode, has secured a spot in the Indian squad for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Her path from an NCC introduction to elite competition was marked by financial struggles, training with borrowed equipment, and overcoming setbacks like the COVID-19 pandemic. With crucial support from her family, husband, and the National Centre of Excellence, she now aims to become the World No. 1 in her sport.
President Droupadi Murmu extended her congratulations to Indian shooters for their impressive performance at the Asian Games, securing both gold and silver medals. She specifically lauded Kamaljeet and Suruchi Inder Singh for their gold in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event and Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil, and Niraj Kumar for their silver in the men's 50m rifle 3 positions event.
Indian skeet shooter Anantjeet Singh Naruka has positioned himself strongly for the Asian Games final, tying for the lead after four qualification rounds. While other Indian male shooters struggled, Naruka's performance offers hope. In women's skeet, Raiza Dhillon and Parinaaz Dhaliwal are also in contention for individual medals, and the women's team holds a bronze medal position, though facing tough competition. The final qualification rounds are crucial for India's medal aspirations.
Mairaj Ahmad Khan, a 50-year-old Indian skeet shooter, is set to compete in his fourth Asian Games, showcasing remarkable longevity. The article traces his unique journey from a promising cricketer, who even played with Virender Sehwag, to becoming a decorated shooter with Olympic appearances and World Cup medals. Despite past disappointments, Khan approaches the upcoming games with renewed spirit, embodying wisdom gained over decades in sport.
