Himanshu Dhillon and Rudrankksh Patil added two more medals to India’s growing shooting haul at the Asian Games 2026, with Dhillon winning silver and Patil winning bronze in the men’s 10m air rifle event.
The Indian shooters continued their strong medal winning run at the Asian Games 2026 with Himanshu Dhillon winning silver medal while Rudrankksh Patil got bronze in men's 10m air rifle. Both the two shooters did very well in the individual event and on September 21 it helped India to achieve another medal winning performance in the shooting medal list.
Rudrankksh Patil entered the final with hopes of winning India's first gold medal in the continental sporting event and remained one of the most formidable contenders for many of the matches. But a 9.7 score was costly at the end of the final and he finished third. Patil achieved 230.9 points to take the bronze medal.
Himanshu Dhillon delivered a solid performance and secured the silver medal with 252.4 points. China's Sheng Lihao took gold with 252.2 points to make the men's 10m air rifle final a close affair between the top shooters.
The result added another big chapter to India's shooting program at the Asian Games. The men's individual medals came after the Indian men's team won silver in the 10m air rifle team event earlier in the day. Rudrankksh Patil, Himanshu Dhillon and Parth Mane combined for 1890.1 points to finish second.
China's Sheng Lihao, Ma Sihan and Zhang Changhong won the team gold after a score of 1899 points at Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery. India's strong performance in the team competition had already proved the depth of the country's shooting contingent. The individual event would give a further two medals.
India's women's shooters had also made a significant contribution to the medal tally earlier in the competition. Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa K Vinod won silver in the women's 10m air rifle team event. Afterwards Elavenil took another silver medal in the individual women's 10m air rifle competition with the Indian shooting contingent achieving a good start in the Asian Games.
The performances were especially remarkable when the Indian shooting team was struggling in Japan in preparation. The shooters were also experiencing logistical problems once they arrived at the Asian Games venue (the airport was held up, accommodation was not at present), they told The Independent.
The contingent had to wait for hours for transportation after landing and was then given a different hotel from the accommodation it had expected. The change, they say, created even more problems for them as they assimilated to the country and prepared for one of the biggest competitions on the Asian sporting calendar.
Travel to the shooting range for training is another challenge. Although the expected journey time was 80 minutes, the shooters reported trips lasting more than two hours. Long travel times can take up time for training and recovery for a tight international competition.
Hence, despite these hurdles, Indian shooters have kept their focus and have achieved medals in team and individual events across both team and individual events despite those obstacles. Dhillon and Patil’s performances in the 10m air rifle are a testament to India’s talent in the 10m air rifle and their contribution to the national medal-winning performance will help to increase India’s medal count in the country’s total medal collection at the 2026 Asian Games.
As more shooting events still form India’s medal campaign, the recent results will further raise expectations around the contingent. Dhillon’s silver and Patil’s bronze also ensure that India’s shooters will remain among the country’s most prominent medal contributors as the Aichi-Nagoya Games continue.
