India’s rifle shooters continued their commanding run at the Asian Shooting Championships New Delhi 2026 with a dominant display on Day Three at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range.
Rudrankksh B. Patil and Arjun Babuta produced a clinical 1–2 finish in the 10m Air Rifle Men’s event, while Himanshu Dhillon, Ansh Dabas and Naren Pranav V.S. swept the podium in the Junior Men’s category to underline India’s depth across age groups. By the end of the day, India had amassed 26 medals 16 gold, eight silver and two bronze including six gold medals from the third day alone.
Senior Air Rifle: Calm Recovery, Clinical Finish
The men’s 10m air rifle final did not begin smoothly for the Indian duo. Both Rudrankksh and Arjun were outside medal positions after the opening series, with Japan’s Naoya Okada setting the early pace. However, the shift began in the second series. Rudrankksh found his rhythm, tightening his grouping and building shot-by-shot stability. By the 16th shot the critical transition phase before eliminations narrow the field he had surged into the lead. Arjun followed closely, climbing into second at the same stage.
From there, the two Indians consolidated control. Rudrankksh maintained composure through the final elimination shots to finish with 251.9, securing his maiden Asian Championship individual gold. Arjun stayed within striking distance but ultimately settled for silver at 250.7, just 1.2 points behind.
Okada, who had led until the 16th shot, dropped to bronze with 229.3.
© Adimazes
Vishal Singh, the third Indian finalist, finished fifth. However, the trio’s combined efforts ensured India claimed team gold with an aggregate of 1884.7. Kazakhstan took silver with 1879.4, while Japan secured bronze with 1877.2. The result reflected not just individual excellence but systemic strength in men’s air rifle a discipline India continues to dominate at continental level.
Junior Men: A Complete Podium Sweep
If the senior event demonstrated control, the junior final showcased authority.
Himanshu Dhillon, both senior and junior national record holder, led from the very first series and never relinquished control. His consistency across elimination stages left little room for challenge, and he closed out the final to clinch gold. Ansh Dabas steadily built momentum after the early series, elevating his shot values into the 10.5–10.7 range to move into second place. Meanwhile, Naren Pranav V.S. delivered a composed finish, striking three 10.8s in the closing shots to secure bronze.
The clean sweep marked one of India’s strongest junior performances in recent years. Himanshu, Naren and Abhinav Shaw combined to add team gold with a total of 1887.8, reinforcing India’s depth pipeline in rifle shooting.
Youth Category: Bhanu Adds Silver
In the youth final, Bhanu Pratap Singh Choudhary contributed another medal for the hosts, finishing with 247.2 to secure silver. Indonesia’s Pramudio Mudiono edged gold at 248.4, while compatriot Anang Febrian took bronze. Bhanu, alongside Anshul Batra and Yash Pandey, claimed team gold for India. Kazakhstan and Maldives completed the team podium in silver and bronze positions respectively.
Mixed Team Golds Extend Momentum
India’s day began strongly in the mixed team events.
Mukesh Nelavalli and Vanshika Chaudhary overcame a mid-final deficit in the 10m Air Pistol Junior Mixed Team event. Trailing Indonesia for much of the contest, the pair delivered consistent high-10 averages in the closing stages to clinch gold with 481.1 finishing 4.2 points clear of the Indonesian silver medallists.
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In the Youth Mixed Team category, Shiksha Saran and Girish Gupta dominated their final from the outset, sealing another gold for India ahead of Tajikistan and Kazakhstan.
The broader narrative remains clear: India’s rifle and pistol programme is functioning with remarkable consistency across senior, junior and youth divisions. The ability of Rudrankksh and Arjun to recover from slow starts and close with precision highlighted match temperament. Meanwhile, the junior podium sweep demonstrated a strong developmental foundation. With women’s 10m air rifle and 50m pistol events scheduled next, India enters the final stages of competition carrying both momentum and expectation.
For now, Day Three belonged emphatically to Indian rifle shooters from seasoned Olympians to emerging juniors as they tightened their grip on the continental stage.
