Arjun Babuta and Elavenil Valarivan set a new world record on way to the gold in the 10m air rifle mixed team event at the Asian Shooting Championships 2026 in New Delhi on Sunday.
The Indian duo dominated the final from start to end to finish on top with a score of 505. It was a new world record score in the 10m air rifle mixed team shooting final, bettering the previous one of 502.7 set by the German duo of Hanna Buehlmeyer and Maximilian Ulbrich at the ISSF Grand Prix in Slovenia last month.
The format of the medal round for the 10m air rifle mixed team event in international competitions was changed to a four-team shoot off from separate gold and bronze medal matches, effective from January 1, 2026. Consequently, the records are also applicable from the same date.
Republic of Korea’s Kim Woorim and Kwon Eunji claimed the silver medal with 501, while Japan’s Naoya Okada and Misaki Nobata completed the podium with a score of 437.9, claiming bronze.
Earlier, Babuta and Valarivan had also topped the qualification round with a combined score of 632.8.
Arjun Babuta had won the individual men’s 10m air rifle silver earlier in the week, while Valarivan had successfully defended her women’s continental crown.
The second Indian pair of Rudrankksh Patil, who became the individual Asian champion on Friday, and Meghana Sajjanar, the women’s individual bronze medal winner, finished third in qualifications with a score of 629.
However, they could not advance to the medal round as only one pair per nation was permitted in the four-team final under the ISSF rules.
Sunday’s medal took India’s medal tally in senior events at the ongoing championships, which only features rifle and pistol events, up to 12 – seven gold, three silver and two bronze.
Meanwhile, India’s two-time Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker is currently placed second in the women’s 25m pistol qualifiers after the precision stage. Her compatriot Esha Singh leads the field.
