Asian Games 2026: It's a special medal, says shooter Parth Mane

Indian shooter Parth Mane called his Asian Games 2026 silver medal 'special.' He, along with Rudrankksh Patil and Himanshu Dhillon, secured silver in the men's 10m air rifle team event. Himanshu Dhillon also bagged an individual silver.

Indian shooter Parth Mane described his silver medal-winning performance at the Asian Games 2026 as a “special medal”, saying it was a proud moment to see the national flag being raised after finishing on the podium. India’s medal-winning shooting contingent from the Asian Games received a warm welcome at the New Delhi airport on Friday night.

Mane, along with Rudrankksh Patil and Himanshu Dhillon, won the silver medal in the men’s 10m air rifle team event at the Asian Games 2026. After arriving in New Delhi, Mane spoke to ANI about his achievement.

"A Special Medal"

"Definitely, it's a special medal. This is the first medal in senior for me, and also the first medal in Asian Games. Definitely, it was a proud moment when I finished on the podium and my country flag was raised up," Parth Mane told ANI.

Sights Set on World Championship

Speaking about his next target, the shooter said he is preparing for the upcoming World Championship in Doha. "The next goal is World Championship in Doha. So, I am just getting ready for that," he added.

Mane also thanked the people of the country for their support and encouragement following the medal win. "We got a lot of love after the medal, so thank you so much," he said.

Men's 10m Air Rifle Team Event

Rudrankksh Patil, Parth Mane and Himanshu Dhillon clinched a silver medal in the men's 10 m air rifle team event in Aichi-Nagoya. The trio managed a silver with a score of 1890.1, short of first-place China's 1899.0. The bronze medal went to South Korea, with a score of 1841.4.

Himanshu Dhillon's Double Delight

Meanwhile, Indian shooter Himanshu Dhillon and Raiza Dhillon expressed their happiness over their medal-winning performances at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, while also setting their sights on winning medals at the LA Olympics. Himanshu Dhillon returned home with two silver medals from the Games. He won silver in the men’s individual 10m air rifle event and another silver in the men’s 10m air rifle team event alongside Rudrankksh and Parth.

Speaking to ANI, Himanshu said he was delighted to win two silver medals for India and praised the camaraderie among teammates, who cheer for and support each other during their events. Himanshu added that his next targets are medals at the World Championships and Olympics. “It feels very good that I have brought two silver medals for my country. It feels very good when our own brothers and our own partners win medals. It feels great when their events are taking place. Then we cheer for them, and when our event is going on, they cheer for us. My next target is to win medals at the World Championships and the Olympics,” he said.

India at the Asian Games

So far, India has won 23 medals at the Asian Games, comprising two gold, nine silver and 12 bronze medals, with 10 of those medals coming from shooting. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)