Himanshu, Rudrankksh Lead India’s Shooting Medal Surge

Himanshu Dhillon and Rudrankksh Patil held their nerve in a gripping men’s 10m air rifle final to win silver and bronze respectively, while also joining teenager Parth Mane to help India secure a team silver at the Asian Games here on Monday.

The three medals took India’s shooting tally to five at the Games — four silver and one bronze.

China’s world No.1 Sheng Lihao once again proved impossible to surpass, producing a Games and Asian record score of 254.2 to win gold.

Himanshu, who turned 21 on Monday, finished second with 252.4, while Rudrankksh took bronze with 230.9.

Himanshu Holds Nerve On Asian Games Debut

The individual final initially appeared to be heading towards a challenge from Rudrankksh, the 2022 world champion.

After the second series, Rudrankksh had an aggregate of 106.0 and led Sheng by 1.1 points, while Himanshu was on 104.8.

The momentum changed during the elimination stage.

Rudrankksh dropped a 9.7 while Himanshu responded with a 10.6, moving into second after the 22nd shot of the 24-shot final.

The Haryana shooter eventually finished just 0.1 points ahead of his more experienced teammate to secure silver on his Asian Games debut.

“Yes, my brief stint on the mat did help me fight till the last shot,” Himanshu said, referring to his short stint in wrestling.

His sporting journey also included a year at a gurukul at his father’s insistence, an experience he credits with helping develop discipline.

Himanshu now has two medals in Nagoya after his contribution to India’s team silver. His next target is the World Championships later this year, where he hopes to secure a quota place for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

India Add Team Silver

The individual medals came barely an hour after Himanshu, Rudrankksh and 18-year-old Parth Mane combined to win silver in the men’s 10m air rifle team event.

India produced a combined score of 1890.1 to finish behind China, whose trio of Sheng, Changhong Zhang and Sihan Ma amassed 1899.0 and improved their own world record of 1898.4 set in Cairo last year.

South Korea won bronze with 1884.2.

Rudrankksh finished third in individual qualification with 631.8 points, while Himanshu was seventh with 630.0. Mane’s 628.3 left him outside the top eight and ended his hopes of an individual final.

But the teenager’s team contribution proved crucial.

Parth Mane Makes First Asian Games Count

Mane, competing at his first Asian Games, showed composure despite being the youngest member of India’s team.

“The competition today was a huge learning experience in terms of pressure. I kept following my process and am happy that I was able to contribute to the team medal,” said Mane, who turns 19 in November.

Born and raised in Solapur, Mane was introduced to shooting at the age of 13 after his police officer father encouraged him to attend a summer coaching camp at school.

The initial experiment soon turned serious. His family eventually moved to Mumbai to provide him with better facilities, where he trained with Olympian and coach Suma Shirur.

The junior World medallist has now won an Asian Games medal on his debut.

“The celebrations will have to wait,” Mane said.

That is because he has another event almost immediately. Mane will team up with Elavenil Valarivan in the mixed team event on Tuesday.

Sheng Lihao Sets The Standard Again

While India’s rifle shooters celebrated three medals, Sheng once again underlined his status as the world’s leading 10m air rifle shooter.

The Paris Olympics double gold-medallist pulled away from the Indian challengers and finished with 254.2, setting a new Asian Games and Games record.

For India, however, the double individual podium and team silver represented another productive day at the shooting range and further strengthened the country’s medal haul in the discipline.

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