Asian Games 2026: India Win Rifle Silver as Archery Records Fall

India defended its silver medal in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions team event at the Asian Games 2026, while Dhiraj Bommadevara produced a Games-record performance to lead the men’s recurve archery qualification. The updates delivered important early results across shooting, archery, athletics and canoe sprint as India continued its campaign on September 26.

Tilottama Sen, Vidarsa Vinod and Ashi Chouksey combined to secure the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions team silver, matching India’s medal from three years earlier. Sen and Vidarsa also progressed to the individual final, giving India two competitors in contention after the team event.

Sen recorded a score of 590 and Vidarsa posted 588 to reach the individual final. Chouksey scored 585 and finished 15th, narrowly missing a place in the individual medal round. The team medal nevertheless ensured a repeat silver for the Indian trio in a key shooting event.

Rifle silver and archery qualification highlights

Bommadevara topped the men’s recurve qualification standings with 698, a new Asian Games record. Neeraj Chauhan finished 18th with 676, while Yashdeep Bhoge was 26th after scoring 665. India’s combined score of 1870 placed the men’s recurve team third in the seeding order, behind South Korea and Japan.

India also had a leading performer in the women’s compound qualification. Chikitha Taniparthi finished first with 705, while Jyothi Surekha Vennam scored 699 for 13th place and Prithika Pradeep registered 695 to finish 20th. The Indian women’s compound team was seeded second behind China after both sides returned an identical total of 2099.

In canoe sprint, Raju Rawat and Neha Devi Leichonbam finished eighth in the mixed canoe double 500m. India’s Geetha Parvaty and Sathyaprakash Chempadiyil advanced into the mixed kayak double 500m Final A after placing second in their semifinal in 1:53.031. They later crossed the line last in Final A, bringing India’s canoe sprint action for the day to a close.

Harshwardhan Shaktawat won the men’s kayak single 500m Final B in 1:52.458, a result that placed him 10th overall.

Track and field progress for India

Animesh Kujur responded strongly after the disappointment of the 100m, winning Heat 5 of the men’s 200m in 21.10 seconds to advance to the semifinals. His progression kept India represented in his preferred event as the athletics programme moved through its heats and finals.

Tejaswin Shankar made a positive start to the decathlon. Following a 10.98-second 100m run, the 2022 Asian Games silver medallist won the long jump with a best effort of 7.53m, worth 942 points. Thowfeeq Noushad was third in the long jump with 7.37m and collected 903 points. The shot put then began as the third decathlon discipline.

Elsewhere, Paritosh exited in the quarterfinals of Puyo Puyo Champions in esports after a 0-5 defeat to an opponent from South Korea. The day’s programme also included major scheduled Indian contests in kabaddi, badminton, squash, hockey, boxing and fencing, alongside further athletics finals.

The rifle silver and record-setting archery qualification supplied India with tangible results early in the day, while Sen, Vidarsa and Bommadevara established themselves as athletes to follow in their respective individual competitions.