Himanshu Dhillon Silver, Rudrankksh Patil Bronze as India Claims Team Silver in Men’s 10m Air Rifle at Asian Games

Himanshu Dhillon secured silver and Rudrankksh Patil took bronze in the men’s 10m air rifle final at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi‑Nagoya. China’s prodigy Sheng Lihao won gold with a Games‑record 254.2 points. Dhillon, a 20‑year‑old senior debutant, posted 252.4, staying mostly in the 10s and missing only one 9, which kept him in medal position after the first series. Patil ended with 230.9 after a stray 9.8 dropped him from the lead to third place. The Indians also earned team silver, joined by India No 1 Parth Mane as the third shooter. Patil, who became world champion at 18 in 2022, had missed a medal at the 2022 Asian Games by 0.3 points and finished fourth in a 2023 shoot‑off against teammate Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar. He later won the 2024 Paris Olympic quota but was not selected for the Games, appealed to replace Sandeep Singh, and eventually claimed an ISSF World Cup gold in 2025 after changing his rifle and adding the 50m three‑position event. His bronze here marks a redemption after four years of near‑misses. The last Asian Games without an Indian on the men’s 10m air rifle podium was in 2006. Since then Indian shooters such as Gagan Narang, Abhinav Bindra, Deepak Kumar and Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar have regularly medalled. A tweet from Union Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya congratulated Dhillon and Patil on their achievements, highlighting the continued strength of India’s shooting program.