Indian Shooters Shine with Silver and Bronze at Asian Games 2026

Medal Triumph in Men's 10m Air Rifle

At the Asian Games 2026, Indian shooters Himanshu Dhillon and Rudrankksh Patil achieved remarkable success, securing silver and bronze medals in the men's 10m air rifle individual event. The gold medal was claimed by China's Sheng Lihao in a tightly contested final on Monday.

Rudrankksh started the competition with a strong performance, leading after the first series with a score of 52.8. He further increased his lead with an impressive 53.2 in the second series, putting him 1.1 points ahead.

Himanshu also remained competitive, briefly taking second place as the event progressed. After 12 shots, Rudrankksh was in the lead with 127.4 points, followed closely by Himanshu at 126.6 and Sheng at 126.3.

The competition remained intense throughout, with Sheng eventually taking the lead after 16 shots, scoring 168.8, while Rudrankksh and Himanshu were tied at 168.6.

Himanshu responded with a stellar 10.9, narrowing the gap to just 0.1 points behind Rudrankksh. However, a subsequent shot of 9.8 caused him to drop to third place. He managed to recover with a score of 10.6, keeping him in contention for a medal.

After 20 shots, Sheng maintained his lead, extending it to one point, while Rudrankksh was second at 210.6 and Himanshu third at 210.0. The final stages saw a dramatic conclusion for the Indian duo, with Rudrankksh finishing after 22 shots at 230.9, just 0.1 points behind Himanshu's 231.0, due to a costly 9.7 shot.

In the final showdown for gold, Himanshu faced Sheng. Both shooters scored 10.6 on their last shots, but Sheng's total of 233.0 secured him the gold, leaving Himanshu with silver at 231.0. This event marked a successful outing for India, with both Himanshu and Rudrankksh earning podium finishes.

India's Diverse Performance at the Asian Games

India's participation at the Asian Games 2026 was marked by a mix of results across various sports on Monday.

Soft Tennis

In soft tennis, Aadhya Tiwari and Jay Meena kicked off their mixed doubles Group B campaign with a commanding 5-0 victory against Cambodia's Viva Chao and Chanroseka Khun. They followed this with another win over Mongolia's Bud Nyamdorj and Enkhkhuslen Ganbaatar, although they faced a setback against South Korea's Kim Yeon-hwa and Jaekyu Park. Despite the loss, they secured second place in their group, advancing to the round of 16.

Shooting Team Event

India's shooting team continued to excel, with Rudrankksh Patil, Parth Mane, and Himanshu Dhillon earning a silver medal in the men's 10m air rifle team event. The team scored 1890.1, falling short of China's 1899.0. South Korea took home the bronze with a score of 1841.4. This achievement marked India's third medal at the Asian Games 2026, all in shooting, with Rudrankksh and Himanshu qualifying for the individual final.

Swimming

In swimming, Srihari Nataraj advanced to the men's 50m backstroke final, while Rishabh Das was named as a reserve. Unfortunately, Mani Akash and Gitesh Shah did not qualify for the men's 50m freestyle final, and Dhanush Suresh missed out on the men's 100m breaststroke final.

Wushu and Table Tennis

In wushu, Nyeman Wangsu finished 15th in the women's Changquan final. In table tennis, India secured a 3-0 victory against Pakistan in the women's team Group F match.