It wasn't just a morning; it was a statement. Himanshu Dhillon and Rudrankksh Patil turned the Aichi-Nagoya shooting range into a personal showcase, adding individual silver and bronze to India’s tally on Monday. Dhillon finished with a final score of 252.4, missing the gold by a hair-thin 1.8 points to China’s Sheng Lihao, while Patil locked up third place with 230.9. For a squad that has been quietly building momentum all week, this was the day the pressure turned into pure output.
The tension was palpable in those final seven series. Dhillon, who had entered the eight-shooter final in seventh place after a qualification score of 630.0, fired a blistering 52.2 in the opening series to jump into the mix. He didn't look back. Patil, who qualified third with 631.8, was equally steady, holding his position in the top three through the elimination rounds. It was a masterclass in composure from two shooters who know exactly what it takes to stand on that podium.
But the individual glory was just the cherry on top of a team cake that was already massive. Just hours earlier, Dhillon, Patil, and Parth Mane had combined for 1890.1 points to clinch the team silver, falling short only to China’s world-record 1899.0. That means three medals in one event, in one day, from one discipline. India’s 10m air rifle campaign is effectively over for the men, and it’s delivered a perfect sweep of the podium.
For Patil, this bronze adds another layer to a career that’s been on fire since the Hangzhou Games gold. He’s already collected an individual gold at the Asian Rifle/Pistol Championships in New Delhi this year, so this feels less like a surprise and more like a continuation of form. Dhillon, meanwhile, makes his mark in his first individual Asian Games final at the 10m mark, a silver that has massive implications for his Olympic qualification trajectory.
India’s shooting contingent is now sitting on a record 22 medals from Hangzhou, and the Aichi-Nagoya campaign is already echoing that success. With Elavenil Valarivan having already grabbed a silver in the women’s event, the depth is there. The next fixture is looming, but for now, the focus stays on how Dhillon and Patil can convert this momentum into more hardware.