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Sawan Barwal celebrates after creating history with India’s marathon silver medal and national record. Tilottama Sen, Ashi Chouksey and Vidarsa K. Vinod celebrate after securing silver for India in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions team event. (Img: X)
Aichi Nagoya: India continued to make its presence felt at the Asian Games 2026 with a series of remarkable performances across shooting, athletics and squash. The latest highlights came from the women’s shooting team, which secured a silver medal in the 50m rifle 3 positions event, and Army athlete Sawan Barwal, who produced a historic marathon performance to claim another major honour for the country on Saturday.
The Indian shooting trio of Tilottama Sen, Ashi Chouksey and Vidarsa K. Vinod delivered a high-pressure performance to finish second in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions team competition. Their consistency across the demanding kneeling, prone and standing rounds helped India secure a podium finish against some of Asia’s strongest shooting nations.
India accumulated 1763 points in the team event, with Tilottama Sen contributing 590 points, Vidarsa K. Vinod scoring 588 points and Ashi Chouksey adding 585 points.
China secured the gold medal after equalling its own Asian Games record score of 1773 points, which was earlier achieved during the Hangzhou 2023 edition.
The silver medal further underlined India’s emergence as a strong force in international shooting. The discipline requires exceptional technical accuracy, mental control and the ability to perform under extreme pressure, making India’s achievement even more significant.
The Indian shooting campaign received another boost as Tilottama Sen and Vidarsa K. Vinod qualified for the individual final of the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions event.
Tilottama entered the final after finishing third in qualification with a score of 590 points, while Vidarsa secured sixth position. Ashi Chouksey narrowly missed qualification after finishing 15th.
The individual final turned into a dramatic contest, with Tilottama remaining among the leading shooters throughout the competition. The young Indian shooter displayed remarkable composure and briefly moved to the top of the standings during the standing series after a strong opening set of shots.
After the first 10 shots in the kneeling position, Tilottama stood fifth with 102.4 points, while Vidarsa was sixth with 102.1 points. Arina Malinovskaya led the standings at that stage with 103.4 points.
Following the prone position, Tilottama remained firmly in medal contention with 205.9 points after 20 shots, while Vidarsa continued her challenge with 205.3 points.
Tilottama produced an outstanding start in the standing series, scoring 51.8 points from her first five shots and moving to the top of the leaderboard with 257.6 points after 25 shots.
However, the final elimination rounds brought a tense finish. Vidarsa was eliminated after the 32nd shot, ending her campaign in fifth place with 327.4 points.
Tilottama moved into medal contention after Vidarsa’s exit but narrowly missed the podium after being eliminated following her 33rd shot. She finished fourth with 337.3 points.
China’s Han Jiayu won the gold medal with 359 points, Zhang Liyuan claimed silver with 358.8 points, while South Korea’s Kim Jieun secured bronze with 348.4 points.
Although India missed out on an individual medal, the performances of Tilottama and Vidarsa highlighted the country’s growing strength in elite rifle shooting.
While shooters impressed at the range, Sawan Barwal delivered one of India’s biggest athletic moments at the Asian Games 2026 by winning a historic silver medal in the men’s marathon.
The 28-year-old Army athlete from Himachal Pradesh clocked 2:11:37 to finish second and also set a new national record.
Japan’s Ichitaka Yamashita won the gold medal after completing the race in 2:10:49, while China’s Peiyou Feng secured bronze with a timing of 2:12:13.
Barwal’s achievement ended India’s long wait for an Asian Games marathon medal. The country had last celebrated a podium finish in the event in 1982 when Hosur Kukkappa Seetharan won bronze.
With this historic performance, Barwal became only the fourth Indian athlete to win a marathon medal at the Asian Games.
His achievement has added fresh momentum to Indian athletics, which has witnessed a steady rise in long-distance events in recent years.
India also celebrated success in squash as veteran player Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar secured a bronze medal in the mixed doubles competition.
The Indian pair suffered a narrow semifinal defeat against Hong Kong’s Tang Ming Hong and Lee Ka Yi at the Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena.
The match went down to the final moments, with Hong Kong winning 11-10, 2-11, 11-10 in a thrilling three-game contest.
Joshna and Senthilkumar bounced back strongly after losing the opening game and dominated the second game, but the Hong Kong pair held their nerve in the deciding game.
For 40-year-old Joshna Chinappa, the bronze medal marked another milestone in her remarkable Asian Games journey. She now has six medals at the continental event, including two silver and four bronze medals.
India’s squash campaign remains alive, with Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh continuing their medal pursuit.
India’s Asian Games 2026 campaign continues with several major medal opportunities ahead. In athletics, Tajinderpal Singh Toor and Karanveer Singh will compete in the men’s shot put final, while Praveen Chitravel and Karthik Unnikrishnan will aim for podium finishes in the men’s triple jump event.
Prachi and Kiran will feature in the women’s 400m final, while Vishal TK will compete in the men’s 400m final. Pooja and Parul Chaudhary will represent India in the women’s 1500m final.
The kabaddi events are also set to attract major attention as India’s men’s and women’s teams face Iran in their respective gold medal matches. Meanwhile, badminton star Lakshya Sen’s campaign ended after his defeat against Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew in men’s singles.
With shooting brilliance, marathon history and multiple medal opportunities still ahead, India’s Asian Games 2026 campaign continues to capture nationwide attention.
