Asian Games 2026: Meet the Indian Women Athletes Behind India's Medal

By: Ayushi Dutta, Senior Correspondent

Asian Games 2026 Indian Women Silver Medal Winners

Elavenil Valarivan Wins Women’s 10m Air Rifle Silver

Elavenil Valarivan won silver in the women’s 10m air rifle individual event, adding another major continental podium to her shooting career. She produced a strong performance in the final but finished behind the gold-medal winner. The result strengthened India’s early presence in the rifle events and became one of several podium finishes produced by Indian women shooters at Aichi-Nagoya. Valarivan’s individual silver also preceded her medal-winning contribution in the women’s 10m air rifle team event. Her performance demonstrated consistency at the continental level and contributed to India’s growing shooting medal tally. The result also highlighted her importance within India’s experienced women’s rifle contingent.

Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod Win Team Silver

Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa K Vinod won silver in the women’s 10m air rifle team event. The Indian trio recorded a combined qualification score of 1,898.0 to finish second. Their performance demonstrated India’s depth in women’s rifle shooting, with all three athletes contributing to the team score. The silver became an early podium finish for India at Aichi-Nagoya and strengthened the country’s presence in the shooting competition. The team’s result was particularly significant because it brought together three Indian shooters who were able to perform consistently as a unit. Their combined score ensured another medal for India and added to the strong showing of women shooters.

Ashi Chouksey, Vidarsa Vinod and Tilottama Sen Win Rifle Silver

Ashi Chouksey, Vidarsa Vinod and Tilottama Sen secured silver in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions team event. India recorded 1,763-90x to finish behind China, while Kazakhstan took bronze. Tilottama Sen scored 590-32x, Vidarsa Vinod 588-29x and Ashi Chouksey 585-29x. The medal extended Vinod’s successful campaign after her earlier silver in the 10m air rifle team event and added another podium to India’s strong women’s rifle showing. The performances of all three shooters contributed to the team’s overall score and helped India remain among the leading nations in the rifle competition. The silver also reflected the depth of India’s women’s shooting contingent.

Mirabai Chanu Wins Silver in Women’s 49kg Weightlifting

Mirabai Chanu secured silver in the women’s 49kg weightlifting category, adding another international podium to her decorated career. The Indian weightlifter finished among the leading competitors in the category and contributed a medal to India’s campaign outside shooting and team sports. Chanu’s result also maintained India’s presence in the weightlifting medal race and added another continental achievement to the career of one of the country’s most accomplished weightlifters. Her silver provided an important contribution from the strength-sports category and demonstrated the variety of disciplines in which Indian women athletes were competing successfully. The performance also added to the wider medal contribution from experienced Indian sporting names.

Roshibina Devi Wins Silver in Women’s 60kg Sanda

Roshibina Devi won silver in the women’s 60kg sanda event after losing the final to China’s Xiaoyu Zhang. The medal extended Roshibina’s remarkable Asian Games record and made her the first Indian wushu athlete to win medals at three consecutive Asian Games editions. Her latest podium finish continued India’s presence in wushu and added another medal from combat sports to the country’s Aichi-Nagoya campaign. The silver was another significant achievement in Roshibina’s Asian Games journey, demonstrating her consistency across multiple editions of the continental competition. Her performance also helped broaden India’s women’s medal contribution beyond athletics, shooting and team sports.

Indian Mixed 4x400m Relay Team Wins Silver

The Indian mixed 4x400m relay team of M.R. Poovamma, Vithya Ramraj, Manu T.S. and Vishal T.K. secured silver at the Asian Games 2026. The event combines two women and two men, making baton exchanges, positioning and pacing crucial to the result. Poovamma and Ramraj therefore became part of another athletics podium for India. The silver added to the country’s growing track-and-field medal tally and demonstrated the contribution of Indian women to mixed-team events. The performance required each athlete to maintain pace while coordinating effectively with teammates during the relay. The medal also showed how Indian women athletes contributed to events that combine male and female competitors.

Ancy Sojan Wins Women’s Long Jump Silver

Ancy Sojan won silver in the women’s long jump with a best effort of 6.53m. She led for much of the final before China’s Huang Yingying produced a 6.55m jump with her final attempt to take gold. The two-centimetre margin separated the two athletes. Sojan’s result marked her second consecutive Asian Games silver in the event after her podium finish at Hangzhou 2023. She also became only the second Indian woman after Anju Bobby George to win multiple Asian Games medals in women’s long jump. Her performance once again placed her among India’s leading field athletes and added another medal to the country’s athletics campaign at Aichi-Nagoya.

Anahat Singh Makes History with Women’s Singles Squash Silver

At 18, Anahat Singh reached the women’s singles squash final and secured silver after losing to Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam. Her run made her the first Indian woman to reach the Asian Games squash singles final. She also became the first Indian woman to win a medal in the Asian Games women’s singles squash event. Her performance added a historic individual achievement to India’s wider squash campaign at Aichi-Nagoya. Reaching the final represented a significant milestone for Indian women’s squash and placed Anahat among the country’s notable young performers at the Games. Her silver also strengthened India’s presence in racquet sports and contributed to the diversity of the overall medal tally.

Esha Singh Wins Women’s 25m Pistol Silver

Esha Singh secured silver in the women’s 25m pistol after a closely contested final against China’s Xiao Jiaruixian. The Indian shooter and Xiao finished level on 38 points, forcing a shoot-off to determine the gold medallist. Xiao eventually prevailed, leaving Esha with silver. The result added another individual shooting medal to India’s campaign and further strengthened the contribution of Indian women shooters at Aichi-Nagoya. The close finish demonstrated the narrow margins involved in high-level pistol competition, with the medal positions decided after the two shooters were tied on points. Esha’s silver therefore became another important individual podium for India’s women’s shooting contingent.