Nagoya, September 21, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) president Kalikesh Singh Deo has hailed India’s strong start in shooting at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, saying the country’s five medals from the first two days are only the beginning of its campaign.
Indian shooters added two individual medals in the men’s 10m air rifle on Monday, with Himanshu Dhillon winning silver and Rudrankksh Patil taking bronze. The results came a day after Elavenil Valarivan won silver in the women’s 10m air rifle and the women’s 10m air rifle team also secured silver.
India’s shooting medal tally has thus reached five, with the men’s 10m air rifle team also winning silver on Monday.
Reflecting on the opening two days, Deo said the results demonstrated the strength of the Indian contingent while suggesting that more medal opportunities remain.
“You know, we’ve had a good start in Indian shooting. We had Ela (Elavenil Valarivan) with the silver yesterday in the women’s 10m and the team silver. Today, Rudrankksh got the bronze, Himanshu got the silver and the team silver again. So five medals from Indian shooting in two days with many more to come. I think this is just the start,” Deo told IANS.
Indian shooters have also had to manage the logistical demands of a multi-sport event, including transportation and the distractions that can accompany competition away from the shooting range. Deo credited the athletes’ mental preparation for helping them deal with such challenges.
“I think our shooters are a tough bunch. They’re young and they’re driven and they’re able to overcome any obstacle with their mental resilience,” he said.
“I think they’re a tough bunch and they’re able to perform over and above that. So I think it’s a good start for Indian shooting. We have one of the best teams in the world,” he added.
Deo also highlighted the preparation undertaken by the NRAI and the government to equip shooters for high-pressure international competitions.
He said the high-performance programme has exposed athletes to simulated finals and pressure situations, while science and technology have been used to provide feedback on their mental, physical and technical preparation.
“So we’ve spent a lot of time working with shooters and putting them into simulation analysis of finals, into high-pressure situations. We are able to give them through science and technology and the high-performance team a lot of feedback to be able to improve themselves both mentally and physically and technically,” Deo said.
“The government’s been a great support to us. And that’s why you can see it reflected in India’s shooting performance. We are not only one of the best shooting nations in Asia, we are one of the best shooting nations in the world,” he added.
With several shooting events still to come at Aichi-Nagoya, Deo said India has medal potential across disciplines, although he did not set a specific target for the team.
“Pretty much in every discipline we have a potential of getting medals for India. And it’s just been two days and five medals. I think many more to come,” he said.
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