Shivraj hails India's silver in Men's 50m Rifle 3P Team at Asian Games
Synopsis
India's Men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions Team of Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil and debutant Niraj Kumar won silver at Asian Games 2026. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan hailed their 'composed and consistent performance on the range.'
Key Takeaways
Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar , Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil and Niraj Kumar won silver in the Men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions Team event at Asian Games 2026 .
Niraj Kumar was making his Asian Games debut , adding to the significance of the medal.
The 50m Rifle 3 Positions event tests athletes across prone, standing and kneeling formats — one of shooting's most demanding disciplines.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan congratulated the trio on 25 September 2026 , describing the result as 'well-earned.' Shooting has historically been a reliable source of medals for India at the Asian Games.
Three Indian riflemen held their nerve across three positions — prone, standing, kneeling — and came away with silver. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan congratulated the team on Friday, 25 September 2026, celebrating a composed showing in one of shooting's most technically demanding disciplines.
The minister posted on X: 'Congratulations to Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil and Asian Games debutant Niraj Kumar on winning the Silver Medal in the Men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions Team event at the #AsianGames2026. A well-earned result after a composed and consistent performance on the range.'
Three shooters, one steady team performance
Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar is among India's most experienced rifle shooters at the senior international level, having accumulated medals on the ISSF World Cup circuit before graduating to multi-sport games. Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil built his reputation through junior world titles and has been navigating the transition to senior competition — a transition this silver underlines convincingly. The third member, Niraj Kumar, made his Asian Games debut in Japan, the host nation for the 2026 edition, and immediately contributed to a podium finish. Debutant pressure on a team event rarely eases itself away — it has to be earned on the mat.Shooting's place in India's Asian Games story
Rifle and pistol events have historically formed one of the more reliable pillars of India's medal haul at the Asian Games. The 50m Rifle 3 Positions event — combining prone, standing and kneeling — tests technical versatility more than almost any other shooting format; a team that clusters three consistent performers across all three positions is genuinely hard to beat. A silver places India on that podium and keeps momentum alive for the remaining shooting programme. Cabinet ministers across portfolios routinely amplify sporting achievements on social media, but Chouhan's acknowledgement of individual names — and specifically of Kumar's debut status — gives the post a personal texture beyond routine congratulations. On the range, consistency is everything. These three delivered it.Point of View
Moving from individual medals to reliable team performances. Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil's trajectory — junior world titles to senior Asian Games podium — reflects a broader investment in pathway development that Indian shooting bodies have emphasised over the past decade. Niraj Kumar's debut silver immediately raises questions of Olympic qualification arithmetic, where team results at Asian Games carry weight. Chouhan's post, while ceremonial in its ministerial framing, underscores how the government routinely positions sporting achievement as a national narrative — keeping medals visible at the cabinet level even outside the sports ministry's remit.
NationPress
25 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won silver in the Men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions Team event at Asian Games 2026?
Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar , Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil and Niraj Kumar won the silver medal for India in the Men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions Team event at Asian Games 2026 .
Where are the 2026 Asian Games being held?
The 2026 Asian Games are hosted by Japan .
Who is Niraj Kumar the shooter?
Niraj Kumar is an Indian rifle shooter who made his Asian Games debut at the 2026 edition, winning silver in the Men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions Team event alongside Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil.
Who is Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil?
Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil is an Indian rifle shooter known for junior world titles who has been competing at the senior international level. He was part of the silver-medal-winning team at Asian Games 2026 .
Why did Shivraj Singh Chouhan congratulate the shooters?
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan posted a congratulatory message on X after the Indian team of Tomar, Patil and Kumar won silver in the Men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions Team event at Asian Games 2026 , calling it 'a well-earned result after a composed and consistent performance on the range.'
