India officially opened its medal tally at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya on Sunday morning, securing two silver medals at the Aichi General Shooting Range. Olympian Elavenil Valarivan produced a standout performance in the women's 10m air rifle individual final, earning silver with a score of 252.4 points behind Japan's Hinata Taichi (253.0). Earlier in the morning qualification stage, Elavenil teamed up with Sonam Uttam Maskar and Vidarsa K. Vinod to deliver India's first medal of the continental games—a team silver with an aggregate score of 1903.3, finishing just behind China's world-record total of 1904.2. On the turf, the Indian women's hockey team registered an emphatic 19-0 rout against Uzbekistan in their Pool B opener at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium, driven by an eight-goal performance from drag-flicker Deepika Sehrawat.

Shooting Range Action: Individual Final and Team Milestone

In the eight-woman 10m air rifle individual final, 27-year-old Elavenil led the field through the first 20 shots with a score of 211.1. Local favorite Hinata Taichi pulled ahead on the 22nd shot to secure gold with an Asian Games record, leaving Elavenil with the silver and South Korea's Olympic champion Ban Hyojin with the bronze. In the preceding team event, the trio of Sonam Maskar (634.1), Elavenil Valarivan (633.5), and Vidarsa Vinod finished 0.9 points ahead of Japan to claim silver under the supervision of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).

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"Our athletes showed immense focus from the first shot this morning, delivering under pressure in front of a strong international field," stated team coaching officials following the final.

Hockey Opener: Dominant Pool B Win Over Uzbekistan

World No. 8 India took early control of their Pool B match against Uzbekistan, establishing an 8-0 lead by half-time before adding 11 goals in the second half. India registered 66 circle penetrations and held 62% possession across the four quarters. Forward Deepika Sehrawat scored eight goals, converting six penalty corners, while Ishika Chaudhary added a hat-trick. Veteran goalkeeper Savita Punia earned her 320th senior international appearance, equaling Vandana Katariya as India's joint-most capped women's hockey player under Hockey India.

The women's hockey tournament at Aichi-Nagoya 2026 acts as a direct continental qualifier for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, awarding an automatic quota place to the gold medalist.

Day 1 Overview and Schedule Ahead

With two shooting medals confirmed, India established an early position on the continental standings, continuing the momentum from its 107-medal performance at Hangzhou in 2023. Upcoming fixtures feature the women's hockey team facing Indonesia on Monday, alongside preliminary knockout matches in table tennis and boxing at Nagoya venues.