India claimed a silver medal in the women's 10m air rifle team event at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi, Japan on 20 September, with the trio of Sonam Uttam Maskar, Elavenil Valarivan, and Vidarsa K combining for a total score of 1898.0. Indian shooting's high-performance manager, Ronak Pandit, said the result reflected where the programme now stands — a team that measures itself against gold, not silver.

How the Scores Stacked Up

Sonam Uttam Maskar led the trio with 634.1, followed by Elavenil Valarivan at 633.5 and Vidarsa K at 630.4, producing the combined tally of 1898.0. In the individual qualification round, Sonam finished third and Elavenil seventh, both advancing to the individual final later on the same day. Vidarsa ended the qualification stage in 12th place.

Pandit on India's Evolving Mindset

Reflecting on the performance, Pandit said the medal was satisfying, but the team's internal benchmark has shifted decisively upward. 'Indian shooting has reached a level where now we don't say we won the silver. We have now started thinking that we lost the gold,' he said. He noted that the competition was fiercely close among the leading nations. 'India, China, Korea are all neck to neck. And surprisingly, Japan was a surprise contender. Suddenly, after the first relay, they were in the middle of the contention,' he added.

Conditions, Logistics and Team Resilience

Pandit acknowledged that the shooting range in Aichi presented real challenges. 'The range is very small. It's very chaotic. It's really like a fish market,' he said, pointing also to logistical and transportation hurdles the contingent had faced in the days leading up to competition. Despite missed training sessions and exhausting commutes, he maintained that the focus remained on insulating athletes from distractions. 'Instead of complaining, if we just stay focused on our task… we have tried our best to ensure that the athletes remain insulated from all the noise and the inconveniences,' Pandit said.

Expectations for the Individual Final

With Sonam and Elavenil both through to the individual final, Pandit set a clear target. 'Expectations are just that their performances remain up to the mark… those performances, I'm pretty sure, will get us top two. We will not be expecting or fighting for anything less than that,' he said. He also pointed out that competing under Asian Games pressure while replicating domestic and international circuit form is itself 'commendable.'

India's Shooting Record at Asian Games

The silver adds to India's rich recent history at the Games. At the 2023 Asian Games, Indian shooters delivered a record 22 medals — 7 gold, 9 silver, and 6 bronze — setting a benchmark the current squad is actively seeking to match or surpass in Aichi.

With multiple individual and team events still ahead, the Indian shooting contingent will be looking to convert that near-miss into gold before the Games conclude.