Asian Games: Elavenil strikes double silver to be India’s star performer

• Elavenil Valarivan won individual and team silver in the women’s 10m air rifle as India opened its Asian Games campaign with a strong showing in shooting.

• MMA debutant Suchika Tariyal assured herself of at least a bronze after reaching the semi-finals of the traditional 60 kg category.

• India’s hockey teams also made emphatic starts, with the men beating Indonesia 13-1 and the women thrashing Uzbekistan 19-0.

The first day of competition after the opening ceremony of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Saturday belonged to Elavenil Valarivan, who emerged as India’s show-stealer. The wiry Olympian shooter from Cuddalore struck two silver medals, adding an individual medal to the team silver she had won earlier in the day in the women’s 10m air rifle event.

Her haul could be the first of many for India, with shooting having accounted for the second-highest medal tally for the country — 22 — at the Hangzhou Asian Games three years ago, behind athletics’ 29.

Another talking point by the end of the day, however, was the performance of the relatively unheralded Suchika Tariyal, who assured herself of at least a bronze medal in the traditional 60kg category of mixed martial arts, one of six disciplines making its Asian Games debut in Japan.

Elavenil, the 2025 World Championship bronze medallist, shot 252.4 points in the final to finish behind Japan’s Hinata Taichi, who won gold with an Asian Games record 253.0. South Korea’s Hyojin Ban took bronze with 230.4.

The Indian entered the final two shots just 0.3 points behind Taichi and remained in contention after shooting 10.4 to the Japanese shooter’s 10.6, which stretched the gap to 0.5. Needing a strong final shot to turn the tables, Elavenil managed 10.1, but Taichi held her nerve with a 10.2 to seal the gold and set a Games record.

The silver was Elavenil’s second medal of the day after she helped India open its medal account with a silver in the team event alongside Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod.

Meanwhile, 36-year-old MMA fighter Suchika advanced to the semi-finals, where both losing semi-finalists are awarded bronze medals. She will face Teo Hui Hoon of Singapore on Monday, giving her an opportunity to improve the colour of her medal.

Speaking to SAI Media after her 2-0 quarter-final victory over her much younger Mongolian opponent Altanchimeg Baigalmaa, Suchika said the Asian Games medal meant everything to her.

"This medal means a lot to me as me and my coaches have worked very hard to reach here. My family has spent a lot of money for me and provided me with every possible support to help me become a good MMA player. So, this medal means more than my life," Suchika said.

Suchika, who was inducted into the Union sports ministry’s Target Asian Games Group (TAGG) scheme earlier this year, said the competition at the Games was particularly demanding.

"The competition at the Asian Games level is very high as mostly pro level players compete here. The scoring also is different as you can’t use knees and elbows. Sometimes it helps too as it gives time to recover. If you get hit on the face, you are knocked out. The chances of injuries are a bit less but it is a very technical sport. Amateurs and professionals both are playing so it is a bit tough," she said.

A two-time medallist at the Asian MMA Championships in 2026, Suchika also received equipment support for kits, training equipment and recovery gear.

A native of Rohtak, Haryana, Suchika comes from a modest and conservative family. Her sporting journey began at the age of 12 following an incident of eve-teasing, which motivated her to take up judo as a means of self-defence. She initially trained at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi and subsequently at the Dada Dev Mandir Centre in Palam before further honing her skills at SAI Bhopal.

A youth icon and popular figure on the Asian martial arts circuit, Suchika made her MMA debut in 2017 with a victory before taking a seven-year break from the sport. During that period, she continued to compete successfully in judo and jiu-jitsu.

Meanwhile, Indian hockey also began its campaign in emphatic fashion, with both the men’s and women’s teams running riot against their respective opponents.

Defending champions India’s men opened their campaign with a 13-1 demolition of Indonesia, with Dilpreet Singh scoring four goals. The women’s team was even more ruthless, thrashing Uzbekistan 19-0.