Shooting Remains India’s Most Productive Medal Source
Three days into the Asian Games 2026, India’s shooting team has once again proven to be the backbone of the country’s medal effort, contributing five of India’s first seven medals at Aichi-Nagoya.
Medals Won So Far
- Elavenil Valarivan — silver, women’s 10m air rifle individual, India’s first medal of the Games
- Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar, Vidarsa Vinod — silver, women’s 10m air rifle team
- Himanshu Dhillon — silver, men’s 10m air rifle individual
- Rudrankksh Patil — bronze, men’s 10m air rifle individual
- Himanshu Dhillon, Rudrankksh Patil, Parth Mane — silver, men’s 10m air rifle team
A Squad Without Some Familiar Names
Notably, India’s 2026 shooting squad does not include several stars from the previous Games cycle, including Hangzhou 2023 champion Sift Kaur Samra and Paris 2024 Olympic medallists Sarabjot Singh and Swapnil Kusale, a selection picture explored further in our look at why India’s shooters have struggled for gold so far.
A High Bar From 2023
India’s shooters are working to match their extraordinary Hangzhou 2023 haul of 22 medals, including seven golds, the best shooting return in the country’s Asian Games history. Full details on every medal winner are available in our dedicated roundup of India’s shooting medallists at Aichi-Nagoya.
What’s Left to Compete For
With shooting events running through October 1, headliners including Manu Bhaker, Rudrankksh Patil and Esha Singh still have multiple opportunities across rifle, pistol and shotgun disciplines to add to India’s growing medal tally.
Conclusion
Shooting has once again been India’s most reliable medal source early in the Asian Games, even without several recent stars in the squad. With nearly two weeks of competition remaining, there’s plenty of scope for the tally to keep climbing.