Who is Rudrankksh Patil? Indian Shooter bags Bronze in Individual 10m Air Rifle at Asian Games

India's merry way in shooting at the Asian Games 2026 continued on Monday (September 21), as shooting brought three more medals, with Rudrankksh Patil at the heart of it.

The men's team won Silver at the 10m air rifle, and Patil has then gone on to win a Bronze medal in the individual event.

Rudrankksh Patil first added the team medal to his collection on Monday as he combined with Himanshu Dhillon and Parth Mane to win silver in the men's 10m air rifle team event at the Asian Games 2026.

The Indian trio scored 1890.1 points, finishing behind China's world-record 1899.0. Patil was India's leading performer with 631.8, finishing third individually in qualification. He and Himanshu also advanced to the individual final.

Rudrankksh Patil wins Bronze in Individual Event

Rudrankksh was leading the race for the Gold for the majority of the individual event, but a couple of low scores dragged him down to Silver. And then in the final couple of shots, he went down to the Bronze medal spot, eclipsed by his Indian teammate Himanshu Dhillon.

The medal is Patil's second Asian Games medal in this event, after he was part of India's gold-medal-winning team at Hangzhou 2023.

Who is Rudrankksh Patil?

Born on December 16, 2003, in Thane, Maharashtra, Patil did not begin his sporting journey with a fixed ambition to become a shooter.

As a youngster, he tried swimming, table tennis, chess, badminton, skating and football at different summer camps. It was a shooting coach who noticed his potential and contacted his parents after one such camp.

That early promise developed rapidly. Patil won bronze at the National School Games within months of taking up the sport and later became one of India's leading rifle shooters.

The 18-Year-Old World Champion

Patil's defining breakthrough came at the 2022 ISSF World Championships in Cairo, where, aged just 18, he won the men's 10m air rifle individual title. He became only the second Indian after Abhinav Bindra to win the men's 10m air rifle World Championship gold.

He also won team gold at those World Championships and secured an Olympic quota for India.

In 2026, Patil added another significant title by winning Asian Championship gold in the 10m air rifle, shooting 251.9 in the final.

Interestingly, Patil is known for his research-driven approach to shooting, studying other athletes, the history of the sport and even his own technique