Tilottama Sen Finishes Fourth as Vidarsa Vinod Takes Fifth in 50m Rifle 3 Positions Final at Asian Games 2026

India came agonisingly close to another shooting medal at the Asian Games 2026 as Tilottama Sen finished fourth and Vidarsa Vinod took fifth in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions final on September 26.

With both Indian shooters making the eight-woman final, hopes were high that India could add another medal to its shooting tally. However, the tightly contested final turned into a battle of fractions, with both Tilottama and Vidarsa remaining within striking distance of the medal positions deep into the elimination phase. Tilottama ultimately finished fourth after a crucial 9.4 under pressure, while Vidarsa was eliminated moments earlier in fifth place.

The final began with both Indian shooters facing a congested leaderboard. After the kneeling position, Vidarsa stood sixth with a score of 102.1, while Tilottama slipped to fifth despite making a strong start. Kazakhstan’s Arina Malinovskaya led the standings with 103.4 at the first changeover.

The competition remained extremely close as the shooters moved into the prone position. The rankings changed almost with every shot, highlighting just how small the margins were between the finalists. By the end of prone, Tilottama had climbed to fifth, while Vidarsa was seventh and dangerously close to the elimination zone.

China’s Liyuan moved into the lead with an aggregate of 206.5, while Korea’s Kim Jieun occupied second place. Malinovskaya dropped to third.

Tilottama Climbs to the Top

The standing position brought another dramatic change. After 25 shots, Tilottama had moved all the way to the top of the leaderboard with 257.6. Vidarsa was seventh, but the gap between the two Indians was only 1.6 points, keeping both firmly within reach of the leading positions. The intensity of the final was evident as every shot produced significant movement on the leaderboard.

The first eliminations came after 30 shots. Tilottama remained third, while Vidarsa had climbed to fifth. Misaki Nobata, who had led the final in its early stages, dropped out in seventh, while Malaysia’s Gan Chen Jie finished eighth. With both Indians still inside the top five, India remained in contention for a double podium finish.

The next elimination proved decisive for Vidarsa. She entered the final stages in fifth place, only 0.1 points behind Tilottama. A high-10 from Vidarsa could potentially have changed the order and kept her in medal contention. Instead, Vidarsa produced a 10.0 while Tilottama responded with a 10.4.

That small difference proved crucial. Vidarsa finished fifth, ending her challenge for a medal, while Tilottama moved into the medal positions with the competition reduced further.

For Vidarsa, the fifth-place finish came after a difficult start in the kneeling position, but she fought her way back into contention during prone and standing. Her rise from seventh to fifth demonstrated how quickly the standings could change during the final.

A 9.4 Ends Tilottama's Medal Hopes

Tilottama entered the final elimination phase with a genuine chance of securing a medal. She had already shown her ability to handle the pressure, moving from fifth after kneeling to the top of the leaderboard after 25 shots before settling into third after 30. But the decisive moment came with a 9.4. Under the intense pressure of the medal battle, Tilottama could not produce the score needed to remain in the top three. She finished fourth and was visibly crestfallen after missing out on the podium.

It was a particularly narrow defeat in a final where fractions of a point repeatedly changed the order.

The results meant that India ended the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions final with two top-five finishes but no individual medal. Tilottama’s fourth-place finish and Vidarsa’s fifth-place result nevertheless represented a strong showing from the two Indian finalists in one of the most demanding shooting events, which requires athletes to compete across kneeling, prone and standing positions.

The final also underlined the depth of competition at the Asian Games, where the difference between a medal and a fourth- or fifth-place finish can come down to a single shot. For Tilottama, the disappointment will centre on the final 9.4 that cost her a podium place. Vidarsa, meanwhile, came within just 0.1 of her teammate before being eliminated.

India therefore leaves the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions final with two shooters inside the top five, but without the medal that had looked possible when both entered the final.