Asian Games 2026: India claim two silver medals on Day 1 in Aichi-Nagoya
India opened its Asian Games 2026 campaign in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on Saturday, 20 September, claiming two silver medals on the first day of competition. Both podium finishes came in shooting, with Elavenil Valarivan central to India’s Day 1 haul.
India’s first medal came in the women’s 10m air rifle team event, where Elavenil Valarivan combined with Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod to score 1898 and take silver. Valarivan then reached the podium again in the women’s 10m air rifle individual final, while Suchika Tariyal advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s traditional 60kg MMA event, guaranteeing India its first-ever MMA medal at the Asian Games; the Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian women’s cricket team also secured a place in the final, confirming a silver medal as India defend the title.
In the women’s 10m air rifle individual final, Elavenil scored 252.4 to finish second to Japan’s Hinata Taichi, who won gold with a Games Record score of 253.0. South Korea’s Hyojin Ban claimed bronze with 230.4. Elavenil was 0.3 points behind Taichi across the final two shots, trailing after a 10.4 to Taichi’s 10.6 and recording a 10.1 in the penultimate shot while Taichi scored 10.2 to secure the title.
Suchika Tariyal’s progression to the MMA semi-finals guaranteed India a medal in a sport where the country had not previously won at the Asian Games, according to the report. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led women’s cricket side’s qualification for the final confirmed a silver medal for India in that tournament, with the team entering the match as the defending champions.
India’s hockey campaign began on Day 1 as well: the women’s team beat Uzbekistan 19-0, while the men’s team played its opening match against Indonesia. Indian athletes also took the field in table tennis, badminton, cricket and other sports across the opening day.
Shooting remains a primary focus for India, with Rudrankksh Patil, Parth Mane and Himanshu Dhillon scheduled to compete in the individual qualification event; the team event is set to start at 6.15 am IST, followed by the individual final at 9.00 am, and skeet qualification will begin at 6.30 am IST featuring Anant Jeet Singh Naruka and Maheshwari Chauhan. The men’s badminton team, silver medallists three years ago, are due to face Bangladesh in the round of 16, with hosts Japan lined up in the quarter-finals should they advance.
India currently share 10th place on the Day 1 standings with Hong Kong, both nations having won two silver medals, and the delegation is set to compete in at least five medal events on Monday.