Shooters Himanshu Dhillon and Rudrankksh Patil Bag Historic Medals at Asian Games 2026
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Indian target shooters continued their spectacular medal-winning streak at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026, capturing two podium spots in a single shooting discipline on Monday. In a thrilling individual showdown at the 10m Air Rifle final, rising marksman Himanshu Dhillon clinched the silver medal while world championship sensation Rudrankksh Patil secured the bronze medal, marking the very first time in this edition of the continental games that India has secured two individual medals in the exact same event. Following up on an impressive performance by the nation's female shooters on opening day, the male rifle contingent delivered high precision on Day 2, delighting Indian sports enthusiasts with a dual-podium celebration.
Intense Final Face-Off: Challenging China's Lihao Sheng for Gold
The high-pressure 24-shot final witnessed a fierce battle between India's finest and China's Olympic star Lihao Sheng, who ultimately claimed the gold medal with a world-class tally of 254.2 points. Himanshu Dhillon pushed the Chinese champion right to the wire, shooting consistently deep into the 10-ring to lock in the silver medal with an impressive aggregate of 252.4 points, while Rudrankksh Patil held his composure across elimination stages to confirm the bronze medal with a solid 230.9 points. Although the Chinese shooter momentarily slipped between third and fourth positions under pressure from the Indian duo midway through the match, a late sequence of near-perfect inner 10s enabled him to recover top spot, with both Dhillon and Patil remaining locked in medal-winning positions from start to finish.
Pathway to Individual Finals via Team Event Glory
The individual podium triumph followed directly from India's stellar run in the men's 10m air rifle team competition earlier in the day, where Rudrankksh Patil and Himanshu Dhillon combined with teammate Parth Mane to claim the team silver medal. The scores logged during that qualification phase determined the eight individual finalists, with Rudrankksh qualifying in third position on a stellar score of 631.8, while Himanshu secured his qualification berth in seventh place with 630.0 points, behind Lihao Sheng’s qualifying benchmark of 635.4. Translating their team momentum into individual glory, the duo has solidified India's reputation as a dominant force on the Asian shooting range.
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