NEW DELHI: President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday congratulated Indian shooter Elavenil Valarivan after she won the silver medal in the women’s 10m air rifle individual event at the Asian Games 2026.The two leaders also congratulated Elavenil, Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa K Vinod after the trio won silver in the women’s 10m air rifle team event.“Hearty congratulations to Elavenil Valarivan on securing Silver Medal in the Women’s 10m Air Rifle Individual event at the Asian Games 2026. Your outstanding performance has brought honour to the nation. I convey my best wishes to you for greater achievements in future,” Rashtrapati Bhavan said in a post on X.The President had earlier congratulated the Indian team for winning silver in the shooting event.Prime Minister Modi also praised the shooters for their performances. “Indian shooters keep making us proud! Congrats to Elavenil Valarivan for winning a Silver Medal in the 10m Air Rifle Women Individual event at the Asian Games. This was her second medal of the day, making this even more special. My best wishes to her for the endeavours ahead: PM,” the PMO said in a post on X.In another post, the PMO said, “Hardwork and teamwork lead to an outstanding result! Proud of Sonam Uttam Maskar, Elavenil Valarivan and Vidarsa K Vinod for winning the Silver Medal at the Asian Games 2026 in 10m Air Rifle Women’s event. Their success will inspire several athletes in the coming times”Elavenil finished second in the women’s 10m air rifle individual final, behind Japan’s Hinata Taichi. South Korea’s Ban Hyojin won the bronze medal.Earlier, Elavenil, Sonam and Vidarsa had opened India’s medal account at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 by winning silver in the women’s 10m air rifle team event.India also had a strong day across several other sports. The women’s cricket team reached the gold medal match after beating Bangladesh in the semifinal. The men’s hockey team defeated Indonesia 13-1, while the women’s hockey team beat Uzbekistan 19-0.In table tennis, India’s teams recorded wins over Indonesia and Singapore, while the women’s badminton team defeated Kazakhstan 3-0.Elsewhere, Suchika Tariyal secured a medal in MMA, Rishabh Das finished sixth in the men’s 100m backstroke final, and Indian athletes also competed in wushu, teqball and swimming events.
