India produced another major result in their shooting campaign produced at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 today, with Himanshu Dhillon and Rudrankksh Patil finishing second and third respectively in the men’s 10m air rifle final behind China’s defending champion Sheng Lihao.
Key Takeaways
- Himanshu Dhillon won silver and Rudrankksh Patil took bronze in the men’s 10m air rifle final.
- China’s Sheng Lihao defended his title and set a Games Record with 254.2 points.
- India secured two individual shooting medals after both shooters stayed in contention deep into the final.
India secured two individual medals in the men’s 10m air rifle at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Monday. Himanshu Dhillon won silver, while Rudrankksh Patil claimed bronze after a closely contested final.
Reigning Olympic champion Sheng Lihao of China took the gold. He finished with a Games Record score of 254.2 points and successfully defended his Asian Games title. Himanshu ended with 252.4 points, while Rudrankksh finished third with 230.9.
The result added another strong chapter to India’s shooting campaign at the Games. Both Indian shooters remained in medal contention through the crucial stages of the eight-man final.
Rudrankksh Makes Strong Start
Rudrankksh immediately established himself as a leading contender.
He topped the standings after the opening 10 shots with 106.0 points. Sheng followed with 104.9, while Himanshu stayed close behind at 104.8.
The Indian pair continued to occupy the top positions as the elimination rounds began. Rudrankksh held the lead, while Himanshu gradually moved up the standings.
Himanshu produced a series of high scores during this phase. His back-to-back 10.9s helped him move into second place and kept India firmly in the fight for the medals.
The contest remained extremely tight. Sheng steadily reduced the gap separating him from the Indian shooters.
Rudrankksh still led after the second elimination. Himanshu was third at that stage. Sheng then produced another strong sequence to move into first place.
India Assured of Two Medals
The medal picture became clearer when four shooters remained.
Mongolia’s Bayaraa Nyantai was eliminated at that stage. His exit guaranteed India two places on the podium because both Rudrankksh and Himanshu remained among the final four.
Sheng led the standings with 211.6 points. Rudrankksh followed closely with 210.6, while Himanshu had 210.0.
The battle for gold continued to involve all three shooters. Behind Sheng, however, the fight for silver and bronze became an all-Indian contest.
Himanshu then made an important move.
He produced a 10.8 on one elimination shot. Rudrankksh responded with 9.7. That difference allowed Himanshu to pull ahead and pushed Rudrankksh into third place.
Himanshu Holds On for Silver
Rudrankksh did not give up the fight.
He responded with a 10.6 on the next elimination shot. Himanshu, however, matched the pressure with a 10.4 and retained his position ahead of his compatriot.
The final contest then centred on Sheng and Himanshu for the gold medal.
Sheng delivered a final 10.6 to secure the title. His total of 254.2 points also established a new Games Record.
Himanshu finished second with 252.4 points. He had reduced Sheng’s advantage to 1.8 points with his penultimate shot but could not overhaul the Chinese shooter.
Rudrankksh completed the podium in third with 230.9 points.
Another Boost for Shooting Campaign
The double podium gave India two individual medals from the men’s 10m air rifle final.
It also capped a strong outing for the Indian rifle shooters. Rudrankksh and Himanshu had both reached the individual final after qualifying among the leading shooters.
India had already secured a silver medal in the men’s 10m air rifle team event earlier on Monday. Rudrankksh, Himanshu and Parth Mane combined for the team medal before Rudrankksh and Himanshu returned for the individual final.
The individual final therefore delivered another pair of medals for India on a productive day in shooting.
For Himanshu, the silver marked a major individual achievement on the Asian Games stage. For Rudrankksh, the bronze added another podium finish after his strong showing throughout the early stages of the final.
The two Indians had stayed close to the leaders for much of the contest. Their ability to remain in medal positions through the elimination rounds ultimately produced double podium for India in the men’s 10m air rifle.