By Sarvjeet Soni
Asian Games 2026: In the Asian Games 2026, Indian shooter Rudraksh Balasaheb Patil performed brilliantly in shooting and won two medals for India in a single day. In the men's 10 meter air rifle team event, Rudraksh along with Himanshu Dhillon and Parth Mane won the silver medal. After this, he won the bronze medal in the individual competition.
In the team event, the Indian trio scored a total of 1890.1 points. Rudraksh had secured third place in the qualification with 631.8 marks. In the team event, China won the gold medal with 1899.0 points and South Korea won the bronze medal with 1884.2 points.
Showed strength in individual finals also
After the team event, Rudraksh also won a medal in the individual 10 meter air rifle final. He secured third position with 230.9 points. China's Sheng Lihao won gold with a Games record score of 254.2 points, while India's Himanshu Dhillon won the silver medal with 252.4 points. (IANS Live)
Rudraksh was also in the silver medal position for some time during the finals, but in the later shots he came down to third place. Despite this, he ensured a bronze medal for India by finishing on the podium.
‘Feeling proud to win two medals for the country'
After winning two medals, Rudraksh Patil said that it is a matter of pride for him to win two medals for the country. He also said that the Indian shooters were well prepared for the competition environment.
According to Rudraksh, a competition-like atmosphere was created in the camp organized in Bhopal. There was also noise from the spectators, so that the athletes would be mentally prepared to perform under the pressure and noise during the finals.
He said that it is very important in shooting to maintain control over one's performance amidst the noise of the audience and increasing heart rate. Rudraksh also talked about dedicating both his medals to the country.
Complete medal record of Rudraksh Balasaheb Patil
Indian shooter Rudraksh Patil has performed brilliantly in the Asian Games 2026 and has won 3 medals so far. He won team silver and individual bronze in the 10 meter air rifle, while he won a silver medal in the 50 meter rifle 3-position team event.
Talking about Rudraksh's international career, according to ISSF records, he has 2 World Championship Gold, 1 Junior World Championship Silver, 1 President's Cup Medal, 3 World Cup Gold, 2 World Cup Silver and 2 World Cup Bronze in his name. Apart from this, he also has 2 silver and 2 bronze medals in the Asian Championship.
Became world champion in 2022
Rudraksh had won gold in the 10m air rifle individual and team events at the 2022 Cairo World Championships. By winning the individual world title, he became the first Indian to become world champion in this event after Abhinav Bindra. Earlier in the 2021 Junior World Championship, he had won silver in 10 meter air rifle.
Hat-trick of medals in Asian Games 2026
On 21 September, Rudraksh won silver in the 10m air rifle team event with Himanshu Dhillon and Parth Mane. On the same day, he won bronze in the individual final.
On September 25, the Indian team of Rudraksh, Aishwarya Pratap Singh Tomar and Neeraj Kumar won silver in the 50m rifle 3-position team event. With this, Rudraksh's name becomes 2 silver and 1 bronze in the Asian Games 2026.
Strong performance by India's shooting team
In the Asian Games 2026, Indian shooters had started winning medals in the preliminary matches itself. Apart from Rudraksh Patil's two medals, Himanshu Dhillon also won an individual silver medal in the men's 10 meter air rifle event. Earlier, India had also won medals in the women's 10 meter air rifle team and individual events.
This performance of Rudraksh Patil was an important contribution to the campaign of the Indian shooting team. She added to India's medal campaign at the Asian Games by winning silver in the team event and bronze in the individual event.