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Indian shooter Himanshu Dhillon dedicated his double silver medal-winning performance at the Asian Games 2026 to his parents, coach Pooja Ghatkar and the support team, a day after securing two podium finishes in the mens 10m air rifle events.
"First of all, I would like to dedicate it to my parents because of the dedication they have shown for their child. Then, there is my coach, Pooja Ghatkar, the sports science team working behind me, like my mental trainers, my SNC's [strength and conditioning], my physios; I would like to dedicate it to them," Dhillon told the media. Dhillon won silver in the mens 10m air rifle individual event, while Rudrankksh Patil claimed bronze. The duo then teamed up with 18-year-old Parth Mane to win silver in the team event, as India finished with 1898.4 points. Chinas Sheng Lihao, Changhong Zhang and Sihan Ma won gold with 1899.0 points, setting a new world record and bettering the previous mark of 1898.4 set in Cairo last year. Dhillon also spoke about his transition from wrestling to shooting, explaining that his initial attempt at the traditional sport was brief. "I did not do wrestling because at that time, I was physically unfit. I was not able to run or jump. I only went to train for 12 days. After that, I left wrestling and joined a shooting range, and since then my shooting career started," Dhillon said. Dhillons entry into shooting came after he tried the sport during a school visit and developed an immediate interest, according to his coach Kuldeep Nehra. His family had initially hoped he would follow the wrestling tradition, inspired by his uncle Hardeep Singh Dhillon, who represented India at the Rio Olympics in the 98kg Greco-Roman category. However, concerns over the cost of shooting and limited early results made his choice a difficult one for the family. Dhillons performances gradually improved, culminating in his double silver-medal haul at the Asian Games. India finished Day 3 of the Games with seven medals, including one gold, four silver and two bronze. The womens cricket team won gold after defeating Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the final, while Indias mens badminton team also secured a medal by reaching the semifinals. (ANI)
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