Asian Games 2026: India’s Elavenil Valarivan and Sonam Maskar Lead Strong 10m Air Rifle Challenge

The women’s 10m Air Rifle competition at the Asian Games 2026 is set to provide one of the most demanding tests of precision shooting, with 60 athletes from 18 National Olympic Committees competing at the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery in Toyota, Aichi.

For India, Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Uttam Maskar and Vidarsa K. Vinod will carry the country’s challenge in an event where the margin between qualifying for the final and missing out could be measured in fractions of a point. The qualification round is also significant beyond the individual competition, as the combined scores of the three nominated shooters determine the standings for the women’s 10m Air Rifle team championship.

The Asian Games field features several of the world's leading 10m Air Rifle shooters. At the centre of the competition is South Korea's Ban Hyojin, the reigning Olympic and World Champion. China arrives with former World Champion Han Jiayu and current World No. 1 Wang Zifei, while host Japan will be represented by World No. 4 Misaki Nobata.

India's Elavenil enters the competition ranked World No. 7, while Sonam has established herself as a regular presence in major international finals. Vidarsa, meanwhile, brings a different storyline, having progressed rapidly on the international circuit and earned entries in both 10m Air Rifle and 50m Rifle 3 Positions. The strength of the field means that simply reaching the eight-shooter final will be a significant achievement.

How the Competition Works

The competition begins with a 60-shot qualification round, divided into six 10-shot series. Shooters have 75 minutes to complete the competition stage following preparation and sighting time. Unlike traditional whole-number scoring, the 10m Air Rifle uses decimal scoring, with each shot capable of producing a score between 0.1 and 10.9. The theoretical maximum over 60 shots is 654.0.

The top eight shooters advance to the individual final. At the same time, the combined scores of the three shooters representing each nation are used to determine the team championship.

That dual objective makes the qualification phase particularly important for India. Every shot contributes not only to an individual's attempt to reach the final but also to the country's team score.

Elavenil Valarivan: India’s Experienced Anchor

Elavenil Valarivan brings substantial international experience to the Indian team. The World No. 7 is a former World No. 1 and ISSF World Cup Final champion. She also won individual bronze at the 2025 ISSF World Championships in Cairo. Her ability to maintain a rapid shooting rhythm has been identified as one of her strengths. According to the event analysis, Valarivan frequently completes shots in under 30 seconds, allowing her to maintain a consistent process throughout a qualification round.

Her benchmark qualification score is listed at 633.0, demonstrating the level of performance required from her if she is to challenge for a place in the final.

Sonam Uttam Maskar enters the competition with a strong record in international finals. The shooter from Kolhapur has won medals at ISSF World Cup competitions and finished among the leading competitors at major international events. In 2026, she won mixed-team bronze at the Hangzhou World Cup and finished fifth in the individual event with a qualification score of 634.3.

That recent qualification score is particularly noteworthy because the projected cutoff for the Asian Games final is expected to be around the 631.6–632.0 range. Maskar's experience in elimination-format finals could also become valuable if she reaches the final eight.

Vidarsa K. Vinod provides the third component of India's team challenge. Her rise has been built through a combination of domestic development and international exposure. She won team silver at the 2025 Asian Shooting Championships and finished sixth individually at the 2026 World Cup. She is competing in both 10m Air Rifle and 50m Rifle 3 Positions in Aichi-Nagoya.

Although ranked lower globally than her Indian teammates, Vidarsa's domestic qualification average has moved above 631 points, placing her within range of the scores required to challenge for the individual final.

The leading contenders will have little room for error. Ban Hyojin enters as the reigning Olympic and World Champion. She won Olympic gold at Paris 2024 after defeating China's Huang Yuting in a shoot-off, before adding the 2025 World Championship title in Cairo.

China's Han Jiayu owns the qualification world record of 636.3, while Wang Zifei is the current World No. 1. Japan's Misaki Nobata, ranked fourth globally, adds the host nation's strongest individual challenge.

Reaching the final does not guarantee an advantage from qualification. All eight finalists begin the medal round from zero, with qualification scores erased. The final starts with two five-shot series before moving into single-shot elimination. The lowest-ranked shooter is eliminated after the 12th shot, with further eliminations taking place every two shots. The gold and silver medals are ultimately decided on the 24th shot, with a shoot-off used if necessary.

That format places enormous emphasis on composure. India therefore has a three-pronged challenge in Nagoya. Elavenil brings experience and consistency, Sonam brings recent international final-round form, while Vidarsa represents an emerging threat capable of pushing towards the top eight.

With the qualification benchmark expected to be around 632 points, India's shooters will need exceptional precision from the opening series.

The 10m Air Rifle competition promises to be a contest where decimal points, rhythm and composure could determine everything — from team medals to a place in the individual final and, ultimately, the Asian Games podium.