NEW DELHI: India ended the opening day of medal competition at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with two silver medals in shooting, leaving the country joint 10th in the medal standings after a day that also saw assured medals, big wins in hockey and cricket, and encouraging starts in badminton and table tennis.India’s first medals came in the women’s 10m air rifle event, with Elavenil Valarivan playing a central role in both. Valarivan, Sonam Uttam Maskar and Games debutant Vidarsa Vinod combined to win silver in the team event before Valarivan added another silver in the individual competition later in the day.The individual medal was particularly significant for the 27-year-old, who had gone without a podium finish in her previous two Asian Games appearances. Valarivan shot 252.4 in the final, finishing 0.6 points behind Japan’s Hinata Taichi, who won gold with an Asian Games record 253.0. South Korea’s Ban Hyojin took bronze with 230.4.Valarivan had led for much of the final and looked on course to challenge for gold before three loose shots towards the closing stages allowed Taichi to turn the contest around. Despite the disappointment of narrowly missing the top spot, her two silvers made her one of India’s standout performers on the opening day.
China lead, Japan close behind
China finished Day 1 at the top of the medal table, collecting 11 gold, six silver and three bronze medals for a total of 20. Hosts Japan were second with six gold, seven silver and seven bronze, also making a strong start on home soil.The Republic of Korea occupied third place with 14 medals, including four gold, while Kazakhstan and Thailand completed the top five. Kazakhstan won three gold and two bronze medals for a total of five, while Thailand’s three medals were all gold.India’s two silver medals placed the country joint 10th at the end of the opening day. The shooting haul also offered an early boost to a discipline that produced a record 22 medals for India at the Hangzhou Asian Games.Beyond the medal tally, India enjoyed several other notable results. Suchika Tariyal assured at least a bronze in the women’s Traditional MMA 60kg event after reaching the semifinals, while the women’s cricket team stormed into the final after beating Bangladesh, with Shafali Verma scoring a maiden T20I century.The hockey teams also made emphatic starts, with the women defeating Uzbekistan 19-0 and the men beating Indonesia 13-1. India’s badminton and women’s table tennis teams also began with victories, setting up further medal opportunities as the Games move into the next phase.
Asian Games 2026 medal tally after Day 1
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | China | 11 | 6 | 3 | 20 |
| 2 | Japan | 6 | 7 | 7 | 20 |
| 3 | South Korea | 4 | 3 | 7 | 14 |
| 4 | Kazakhstan | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| 5 | Thailand | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 6 | Myanmar | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 7 | Macao, China | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 | Kuwait | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 9 | Chinese Taipei | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 10 | INDIA | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | Hong Kong, China | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
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