Plenty of Podiums, But No Gold Yet
India’s shooters have been the most consistent medal contributors at the Asian Games 2026, but a closer look at the results reveals a notable pattern: every medal so far has been silver or bronze, with the top step of the podium still out of reach.
The Medal Breakdown So Far
- Three silver medals across individual and team 10m air rifle events
- One bronze medal in the men’s 10m air rifle individual event
- No gold medals from shooting through the first three days of competition
- A full list of India’s shooting medallists is available in our dedicated roundup
A Squad Missing Recent Stars
Part of the explanation lies in selection. India’s 2026 team does not include Hangzhou 2023 champion Sift Kaur Samra, Paris 2024 Olympic medallists Sarabjot Singh and Swapnil Kusale, or 10m air pistol world champion Samrat Rana, all of whom contributed to India’s record-breaking 2023 haul but were not selected for Aichi-Nagoya, a picture detailed further in our latest team update.
Fine Margins at the Top
Several of India’s near-misses have come by the smallest of margins, with shooters like Himanshu Dhillon and Elavenil Valarivan finishing just behind gold medallists from China in closely fought finals, underlining how tight competition has become at the very top of Asian shooting.
Plenty of Time to Turn Silver Into Gold
With shooting events continuing through October 1 and stars including Manu Bhaker and Rudrankksh Patil still to compete in several more disciplines, India’s chances of a gold medal remain very much alive.
Conclusion
A squad missing some of its biggest recent names has still delivered consistent podium finishes, just not yet at the very top. With more than a week of shooting still to come, India’s wait for a 2026 gold could end at any moment.