Asian Games 2026: Vidarsa Vinod Shuts Out Pressure as India Opens With Shooting Silver

The stage was bigger. The routine was familiar. Vidarsa Vinod found her calm in that simple thought as India claimed its first medal of the Asian Games 2026.

Teaming up with Elavenil Valarivan and Sonam Maskar, Vidarsa helped India secure silver in the women’s 10m air rifle team event in Aichi-Nagoya on Sunday. The trio scored 1,898 points to finish behind China.

Vidarsa placed ninth in the individual qualification standings, but left the competition with a team medal and the satisfaction of having managed the nerves that accompanied her arrival.

“I feel great to have got the opportunity to participate in the Asian Games. Today, I competed in the 10-metre air rifle event and gave my best. I’m really happy with my performance,” she told ANI.

Same Routine, Bigger Stage

Vidarsa had expected the occasion to bring considerable pressure. Some nerves surfaced initially, but she settled by concentrating on the familiar demands of her event.

“Initially, I did feel a little pressure, but then I realised that this is just like any other competition. The time is the same, the procedure is the same, and I just have to follow it,” she said.

That shift helped her stop worrying about the scale of the Games and focus on competing.

“Once I realised that, the pressure went away, and I was able to simply enjoy the competition,” she added.

The Preparation Behind the Medal

Vidarsa credited the team’s support and two training camps in Delhi with helping her arrive mentally and physically prepared.

The emphasis, she said, was on enjoying the competition and producing her best performance.

“The team we have never puts pressure on us. They prepared us very well, and we also had two camps in Delhi, where the focus was not on putting pressure on us but on helping us enjoy the competition and give our best,” she said.

That preparation gave her confidence when it was time to step into competition.

“I felt well prepared when I came here, and I’m feeling really good,” she said.

After a Difficult First Day

Vidarsa also acknowledged initial problems with accommodation and arrangements, but said conditions had improved.

“The first day was a little difficult for us because we had a lot of expectations and there were some initial challenges,” she said.

By Sunday, she said, transport and accommodation arrangements had settled.

“We have the buses arranged now, the accommodation is good, and everything has settled down. So, overall, things are going well.”

For Vidarsa and her teammates, the opening reward was already secured: a silver medal to get India’s campaign moving.

With inputs from ANI