Asian Games 2026 Highlights: Elavenil Valarivan claims 2nd silver medal; Suchika Tariyal confirms MMA medal

Elavenil Valarivan (born 2 August 1999) is an Indian rifle shooter from Tamil Nadu, currently based in Gujarat, specializing in the 10m Air Rifle event. She began competitive shooting in 2014 and trains under personal coach Neha Chavan, with Deepali Deshpande and Deepak Dubey serving as her national coaches.

A two-time Olympian, Elavenil represented India at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games and has consistently ranked among the world's leading women's air rifle shooters, reaching World No. 1 during her career. Elavenil rose to international prominence after winning the gold medal at the 2018 ISSF Junior World Cup in Sydney in only her second ISSF competition, setting a Junior World Qualification Record. She has since won multiple medals at the ISSF World Championships, ISSF World Cups, ISSF World Cup Final, and Asian Championships, establishing herself as one of India's most decorated air rifle athletes.

On Sunday, Elavenil won two medals at the Asian Games, both silvers. Those two medals adds to a jawdroppingly long list of medals at various events:

Silver – 10m Air Rifle Women Junior, ISSF World Championships, Changwon, Republic of Korea (2018)

Bronze – 10m Air Rifle Women Team, ISSF World Championships, Cairo, Egypt (2022)

Bronze – 10m Air Rifle Women, ISSF World Championships, Cairo, Egypt (2025)

Gold – 10m Air Rifle Women, ISSF World Cup, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2019)

Gold – 10m Air Rifle Women, ISSF World Cup, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2023)

Bronze – 10m Air Rifle Women, ISSF World Cup, Munich, Germany (2025)

Gold – 10m Air Rifle Women, Asian Championships, New Delhi, India (2026)

Gold – 10m Air Rifle Women, Asian Championships, Shymkent, Kazakhstan (2025)

India made a flying start to their shooting campaign at the 20th Asian Games, securing two silver medals on the opening day of competition at the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery.

Olympian Elavenil Valarivan clinched the silver medal in the Women's 10m Air Rifle individual final.

Meanwhile the trio of Elavenil, Sonam Uttam Maskar and Vidarsa Kochalumkal Vinod combined to win the team silver.

In an impressive individual final, Elavenil produced consistent high-10s to shoot a total of 252.4. She pushed the contest to the final shot, finishing just 0.6 points behind Japan's Hinata Taichi, who took the gold medal with a new Asian Games record of 253.0. South Korea's Olympic champion Ban Hyojin took the bronze medal with a score of 230.4.

India's Sonam Uttam Maskar also featured in the eight-woman final, finishing sixth with an elimination score of 167.0.

Earlier in the day, the Indian contingent opened the nation's medal account at the Games through the team event, which is decided by aggregate qualification scores. India posted a combined total of 1898.0 to secure second place on the podium.

Sonam led the qualifying effort for India with an outstanding 634.1 to finish third, while Elavenil qualified in seventh place with 633.5. Vidarsa added a solid score of 630.4 to place 12th in the individual rankings and seal the team silver for India.

China took the team gold medal with a total of 1904.2, led by qualification leader Wang Zifei (636.8), Han Jiayu (633.8) and Du Yuchen (633.6). Hosts Japan claimed the team bronze medal with an aggregate of 1897.1.

Shooting action continues on Monday, 21 September 2026, with medals on offer in the Men's 10m Air Rifle individual and team competitions. The opening day of qualification for both the Men's and Women's Skeet events will also get under way at the range.

India's men's and women's teams began their table tennis campaigns at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with identical 3-0 wins over Indonesia in their respective Group F openers on Sunday, reports Press Trust of India.

The women's team got their campaign off to a winning start as Sreeja Akula, Diya Chitale and Yashaswini Ghorpade swept their Indonesian opponents.

Sreeja beat Ni Maharani 3-1 in the opening rubber, recovering from an 8-11 second-game loss to win 11-3, 11-4, 11-4.

Diya then defeated Almaira Nebuchadnezzar 3-0 (11-9, 11-8, 11-5) before Yashaswini sealed the tie with a 3-0 (12-10, 11-4, 11-4) win over Citra Rasmi.

The men followed with an equally dominant 3-0 victory, though they were pushed harder in the second rubber.

Sathiyan Gnanasekaran put India ahead with a 3-0 win over Muhammad Negara, prevailing 11-8, 11-7, 11-9.

Manav Thakkar then survived a five-game battle against Muhammad Junindra, winning 3-2. Manav took the first game 11-7, dropped the second 8-11, and regained the lead by winning the third 11-6.

Junindra forced a decider by taking the fourth 11-6, but Manav held his nerve to win the fifth 11-9.

Manush Shah completed the men's sweep with a 3-0 win over Affan Pratama, prevailing 11-9, 11-9, 12-10.

India's women are grouped alongside Indonesia, Pakistan and Singapore in Group F.

The men's team are clubbed with Iran, Pakistan and Indonesia.

A silver medal and some heartbreak for Elavenil Valarivan! She claims her 2nd silver medal of the day, but she would not be very happy with that. She was leading the event for so long, but in the final shots, she was overtaken by the eventual gold medallist from Japan, Hinata Taichi.

A 0.6 difference between Elavenil and the gold medal winning Japanese shooter at the end after 24 shots!

Shivani Naik with a lament: 4 TV channels dedicated to Asian Games. 3 showing cricket. No badminton. Yet.

From Pritish Raj

This is the first time there will be no Chinese shooter on a 10m Air rifle podium at the Asian Games. Last time such an instance happened 40 years back in the 1986 Seoul Asian Games when this discipline was introduced at the showpiece. This will also mean that after 2014, the first time a non Chinese will win the gold medal.

MMA fighter Varun Sanyal declared unfit, ends his campaign at Asian Games.

Elavenil Valarivan and Sonam Uttam Maskar are the shooters in the fray for an individual medal in the 10m air rifle event after teaming up for a silver medal in the team event.

Nitin Sharma writes:

In Hangzhou Asian Games, Chinese trio of Jiayu Han (634.1), Yuting Huang (631.6) and Zhilin Wang (630.9) had won the women’s 10m air rifle team gold with a cumulative score of 1896.6 while the Indian trio of Ranita Jindal (631.9), Mehul Ghosh (630.8) and Ashi Chouksey (623.2) had won the silver with a cumulative score of 1886 points.

Pritish Raj writes

India in all likelihood has won the first medal of the Asian Games and it has come in the women's 10m Air rifle team event. The Indian team is set to finish second behind China who created the World Record with a score of 1904.2 while India's cumulative score is 1898. The Korean shooter needs 75.5 in the last seven shots which looks tough at the moment.

From Nagoya, Mihir writes

India on course to a team silver in 10m women’s rifle. The combined total of 3 shooters is 1898. China is ahead by a mile. India keeping the Koreans at bay.

Nitin Sharma writes

Elavenil Valarivan shoots a final series of 105.4 and ends with a final score of 105.4. She is placed seventh and expected to maintain her spot.

Suchika Tariyal confirms India's first medal at Asian Games 2026 after she enters semis of women's traditional 60kg in MMA event. The 36-year-old Tariyal will compete in the semifinal on 21 September.

Suchika defeated Mongolia's Altanchimeg Baigalmaa in the quarter-finals!

Read Mihir Vasavda's profile of Suchika, who, he writes, started pursuing martial arts as a means to protect herself, and after dabbling, and winning, in various disciplines, she came to MMA. She also appeared on MTV Roadies and later India’s Ultimate Warrior

Here's a quick bio of Sucharika (via Sports Authority of India):

A native of Rohtak, Haryana, Sucharika comes from a modest and conservative family background. Her sporting journey began at the age of 12 after an incident of eve-teasing, which motivated her to take up judo as a means of self-defence. She initially trained at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and subsequently at the Dada Dev Mandir Centre in Palam, further honing her skills at SAI Bhopal. Pursuing competitive sport required her to overcome family reservations, particularly concerning the challenges faced by girls travelling for competitions. She subsequently established herself as an international-level judoka, representing India in more than 20 international Judo competitions.

Suchika went on to become an eight-time National Judo Champion and secured several major international medals for India. She won Gold at the 2019 Commonwealth Judo Championships and the 2019 South Asian Games, besides winning Silver at the 2018 Commonwealth Judo Championships. She also represented India at multiple Asian Judo Championships. At the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, she competed in the Women’s -57 kg category and narrowly missed a podium finish, gaining valuable experience at the highest level of international Judo. She subsequently expanded her career into Ju-Jitsu, achieving a major milestone in 2024 by winning Gold in the Adults Ju-Jitsu Contact Female -63 kg category at the JJIF Ju-Jitsu World Championships. Her success across Judo and Ju-Jitsu provided a strong foundation for her transition into MMA.

Suchika made her MMA debut in 2017 with a victory, before taking a seven-year break from the sport while continuing to compete successfully in Judo and Ju-Jitsu. In November 2024, she signed a multi-fight contract with BRAVE Combat Federation in the Women’s Strawweight division. She returned to professional MMA at BRAVE CF 92 in Bahrain in December 2024, securing a victory. Alongside her sporting career, Suchika was appointed as a Head Constable in CISF and subsequently joined the Department of Sports, Haryana as a Junior Coach. Her progression from an accomplished international judoka to a Ju-Jitsu World Champion and professional MMA fighter, coupled with her two medals at the Asian MMA Championship, reflects a distinctive and highly successful multi-discipline combat-sport career. Her extensive international experience, championship credentials and continued progression in MMA position her as an athlete with strong potential to bring further laurels to the nation.

Pritish Raj writes

In the second relay of shooting qualification, Elavenil Valarivan is on fire at the moment. After an okay first series of 105.4, Ela scored 106.3 in the second series and improved it to 106.6 in the third series.

Three more series to go but Ela has put India in a strong position for the team medal.

Rishabh Das enters swimming final, Utkarsh Patil ends 12th

Rishabh Das qualified for the final of the men's 100m breaststroke event after finishing fifth overall in the heats with a time of 54.85 seconds. China's Xi Jiayu, the Asian record holder, topped the heats, while Japan's Hidekazu Takehara finished second. Das was 0.63 seconds behind Takehara. India's Utkarsh Patil finished 12th in the qualification round. Das will compete in the final on Sunday afternoon.

Pritish Raj writes:

It was not meant to be as the Indian duo lost 6-12 with Quimcy struggling with her back. The crowd appreciates the Indian duo for their fight. However, beyond anything else, this is a watershed moment for the sport that has just 180 players in the country.

Quimcy Dsouza and her exploits at the Asian Games are going to give more visibility to the sport and India can certainly expect a lot more players picking up the sport. It will be interesting to see if the sport picks up after all the hype or remains the follow once in four years kind of sport.

Nitin Sharma writes on shooting:

Last time in the Asian Games, China had won the team gold in the women’s 10m air rifle event with a cumulative score of 1896.6 while the India had won the team silver with a cumulative score of 1886 points.

Meanwhile, the Indian women's hockey team have taken a 2-0 lead at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium with just 8 minutes gone against Uzbekistan in a Pool B game, thanks to goals from from Lalremsiami and Deepika!

Pritish Raj adds: They are already 2-0 up and it will be interesting to see if it becomes a double digit scoreline by the end of the match.

Pritish Raj writes:

An anti-climactic finish in the mixed doubles bronze medal match between Quimcy Joaquim Dsouza and Mohd Anas Imran Beg vs Minh Tan Nguyen & Gia Nghi Trinh (Vietnam) as the Indian duo loses the first set 9-12. The doubles look far more thrilling but Anas needs to work on his reception of the service as they lost four points there. Quimcy is at her usual game, some flawless shot making but some poor serves.

Pritish Raj writes:

Quimcy Dsouza loses the bronze medal and a lot of it goes down to her composure. Like her semifinal, she was leading 10-7 in the second game but gave away four consecutive points and lost 12-11 in the second game. Coincidentally, she had defeated Sakamoto in the group stage match but couldn't repeat it this time. Fourth place finish for the girl from Mumbai.

Quimcy is distraught but she doesn't have time to grieve right now. Mixed doubles bronze match starts soon and she has an immediate chance at redemption

Quimcy has managed to stay in the lead all through the second set after losing the first. The Japanesefans are rallying behind Sakamoto.

Pritish Raj writes: Quimcy needs to keep her calm. She gave away two easy points to Sakamoto and the experienced Japanese have made it 6-6 in the second set.

Quimcy Dsouza is facing the home favourite Yuina Sakamoto of Japan in the bronze medal match and it is not an easy feat to do that. It was a thrilling final few points in the first game and Sakamoto uses her experience to win the set 12-11.

Mihir Vasavda, The Indian Express' man on the ground in Nagoya for these Asian Games, sends us this update:

The qualification for 10m women’s air rifle has started. Sonam is fourth and Vidisha sixth in the second series — top eight go to the final. Elavenil yet to start.

Sonam Maskar (below) has a total of 232.4. She is into her third series.

We have our first sighting of Suraj Singh Mayanglambam! he is the 17th athlete to compete on Sunday morning in a field of 21. And he's ranked eighth in the men's changquan event.

Update: Suraj gets pushed down to 11th spot after all 21 athletes have had their say.

here's a breakdown of his score:

Overall score: 9.683

Quality of Movement: 5.00

Overall Performance: 2.683

Degree of Difficulty: 2.00

The score to beat is of Chi Hin Kuong (9.723). The Macao athlete is followed by compatriot Chi Kuan Song (9.720) and Indonesia's Seraf Naro Siregar (9.720).

Good morning sports fans! Welcome to our live coverage of Day 2 at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya! Well it's day 2 only technically, but it's day 1 for India's medal ambitions at Nagoya!

If you’re reading this with a cup of chai in one hand and half-open eyes, congratulations—you’ve woken up just in time for the chaos, the drama (hopefully not much), and potentially India’s very first medal of the Asian Games 2026.

Brew some more coffee, cause the Games comes thick and fast today with wushu, teqball, shooting, badminton, and table tennis action coming up. and there's some cricket too early in the day! it's going to be one heck of a ride! Strap on!