India won three more shooting medals at the Asian Games 2026, featuring a double podium in the Men's 10m Air Rifle. Himanshu Dhillon won silver and Rudrankksh Patil took bronze. The team also secured silver, bringing India's shooting total to five.

After securing two medals on the second day of the Asian Games 2026, Indian shooter Rudrankksh Patil emphasised how important it is for shooters, one of the country's most powerful contingents at the continental showpiece, to stay focused and deliver as many medals as possible to build momentum for the rest of the contingent.

Medal Rush on Day Two

India added three more medals to their shooting tally at the 20th Asian Games on Monday, highlighted by a double podium finish in the Men's 10m Air Rifle on day two of competition at the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery. Himanshu Dhillon clinched individual silver, while Rudrankksh Patil secured bronze in a tightly fought eight-man final, with China's Sheng Lihao taking gold. The medal rush began in the morning qualification round, which doubled as the team final decided by aggregate scores. Patil led the Indian charge with a composed 631.8 to finish third overall, Dhillon backed him up with 630.0 for seventh, and Parth Mane added 628.3. Together, the trio's combined 1890.1 secured team silver, behind a world-record 1899.0 from China, and just ahead of South Korea's 1884.2 for bronze. With their qualification scores good enough to also rank inside the individual top eight, Patil and Dhillon returned to the line for the final, where they delivered for India.

'Something is Better Than Nothing': Rudrankksh Patil

Speaking after his medal win to ANI, Rudrankksh, a gold medalist at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, expressed that he was looking forward to a gold but "something is better than nothing". "I am feeling very happy, very proud that I could bring two medals for the country. Of course, it could have been a bit better, and we were expecting a gold. But something is better than nothing. We managed to bring a bronze and a silver. Both of our flags were on the podium, so I am very happy," he said.

Building Momentum for Indian Contingent

Rudrankksh acknowledged how shooting always brings medals for India at Asian Games, and the sport serves as a starting point for the medal spree. "As far as I know, it is our responsibility as shooters to build momentum for the entire contingent. The more medals we win, the stronger and more confident the rest of our contingent feels. It is our responsibility to stay focused on every shot and every moment, win as many medals as we can, and send positive vibes to the rest of our team," he added.

A 'Rollercoaster' Journey to Japan

Rudrankksh revealed that his journey to Japan was a "rollercoaster" as his flight from Bhopal to Delhi landed in Jaipur due to an emergency, and they came to Japan from there. He revealed that they spent quite some time travelling and training and headed into their event with a lot of confidence. "Once we arrived, as you know, things were a bit delayed. It was a bit of a long journey—about three days were spent just traveling. But Japan is Japan; it's a very beautiful country. I love the vibes here, and after two or three days of good training, I felt very confident that we could achieve this," he added.

Diet and Relaxation for Shooters

Speaking on any dietary indulgences after the medal win, Rudrankksh said that such restrictions are not really a thing for shooters, though they have to fulfil their dietary indulgences in moderation. For them, it is about being more relaxed, and cheat days with their diet are of great help. "Shooting is not a purely physical sport; the happier and more relaxed we are mentally, the better we focus. So we are quite open to eating whatever we like, though everything stays within control. During training periods, it is more about timing, moderation, and keeping things balanced rather than total restriction. We do not completely stay away from things—we have cheat days and enjoy everything! Competitions are actually more fun because we can eat, explore, and sleep freely, so we love it!," he signed off.

How the Final Unfolded

During the individual 10 m air rifle final, both Rudrankksh and Himanshu held their nerve through the progressive-elimination format. Rudrankksh set the early pace, opening with 52.8 and a superb 53.2 in the second series to move 1.1 points clear, and led with 127.4 after 12 shots ahead of Himanshu (126.6) and Sheng (126.3). China's Sheng edged ahead after 16 shots (168.8) with the two Indians tied on 168.6, before Himanshu's late consistency — including a clutch 10.9 — kept him in the fight while Rudrankksh's costly 9.7 saw him drop out after 22 shots, finishing on 230.9 for bronze.

Himanshu then took the contest to the final two-man shoot-off against Sheng; both closed with 10.6s, but Sheng completed his round on 233.0 for gold while Himanshu settled for silver with 231.0. The result takes India's shooting tally at these Games to five medals, including four silvers and a bronze, following an earlier silver in the women's 10m air rifle team event and 10 m air rifle individual event silver. (ANI)

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