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India added two more shooting medals to its Asian Games campaign on Monday as Himanshu Dhillon and Rudrankksh Patil finished second and third respectively in the men's 10m air rifle individual final.
Dhillon scored 252.4 points to take the silver medal, while Patil finished with 230.9 points for bronze. China's reigning Olympic champion Sheng Lihao dominated the final, securing gold with a Games-record 254.2 points.
Patil began the eight-shooter final strongly and briefly led the competition. After the opening stages, he was ahead of Sheng and Dhillon, keeping India in contention for the gold medal.
Dhillon also remained among the leading shooters throughout the final. As the elimination rounds progressed, the two Indian competitors continued to occupy podium positions.
The contest eventually developed into a battle between the two Indian shooters for the silver and bronze medals behind Sheng.
Dhillon produced several high-scoring shots during the decisive stages and moved ahead of Patil. A crucial 10.6 helped him maintain his position as the competition approached its conclusion.
Patil was eventually eliminated in third place after finishing on 230.9 points, while Dhillon advanced to the final two-shooter contest against Sheng. The Chinese shooter maintained his advantage and secured gold, leaving Dhillon with silver.
For Dhillon, the silver is a major achievement at his Asian Games debut, while Patil added another Asian Games medal to his record.
The individual success came after India had already secured silver in the men's 10m air rifle team event.
Dhillon, Patil and Parth Mane combined for a score of 1890.1 points, finishing behind China's 1899.0. South Korea took bronze.
With the individual double podium added to the team medal, India's shooting contingent continued its strong start at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
The result also highlights the depth of India's current men's air-rifle squad, with Dhillon and Patil both managing to stay in medal contention under the pressure of a closely contested final.
