Asian Games 2026: India’s 10m Air Rifle Trio Face Elite Field in Battle for Gold

The men’s 10m air rifle competition at the Asian Games 2026 brings together an exceptional field of Olympic champions, world champions, continental medallists and emerging young shooters.

For India, the event is particularly significant as the country enters the competition with a combination of proven international experience and emerging talent.

The competition takes place on September 21 at the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery, with the qualification round determining both the individual finalists and the team standings. According to the supplied event analysis, the 60-shot qualification is scheduled for 9:45 AM local time, followed by the eight-shooter individual final at 2:00 PM JST.

India’s challenge will be led by Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil, Parth Rakesh Mane and Himanshu Dhillon, a trio combining world championship experience, junior international success and a national-record performance.

Rudrankksh Patil brings the greatest senior experience of the Indian trio. The 22-year-old is the 2022 World Champion and was part of India’s world-record team performance at the Hangzhou Asian Games. He also won the individual title at the 2026 Asian Shooting Championships in New Delhi, where he recorded 632.1 in qualification before shooting 251.9 in the final.

At the other end of the experience spectrum is 18-year-old Parth Mane. The Maharashtra shooter became a double gold medallist at the 2024 ISSF Junior World Championship in Lima. His individual victory there came with a final score of 250.7. He has since transitioned into senior competition and was ranked No. 1 domestically during India’s 2026 selection trials.

Completing the Indian trio is Himanshu Dhillon, who arrives with one of the most eye-catching recent qualification scores. At the 68th National Shooting Championship in Bhopal, Dhillon recorded 634.5, matching the Asian Games qualification record listed in the supplied analysis. He subsequently won the 2026 national trials final with 252.2. The three Indians will occupy firing points 48, 50 and 52, creating a close grouping on the range. That can allow the team to establish a shared rhythm, although maintaining individual concentration will remain essential.

Sheng Lihao sets the benchmark

Standing at the centre of the field is China’s Sheng Lihao, one of the leading 10m air rifle shooters of his generation. Sheng won Olympic silver at Tokyo 2020 before becoming Olympic champion at Paris 2024. At the Hangzhou Asian Games, he topped qualification with 634.5 and went on to set the Asian Games final record with 253.3. His qualification world record stands at 637.9, while his final world record is listed at 254.5.

His shooting rhythm is another distinctive feature. The supplied analysis notes that Sheng can complete his 60-shot qualification considerably faster than many competitors, sometimes finishing in roughly 35–40 minutes despite the 75-minute limit.

China also possesses considerable depth beyond Sheng. Zhang Changhong, the Tokyo Olympic 50m rifle three-position champion, has successfully moved into the 10m discipline and won gold at the 2026 ISSF World Cup in Munich. Eighteen-year-old Ma Sihan, meanwhile, is the 2024 Asian champion and another contender capable of producing a high qualification score.

South Korea’s Park Hajun is another major name in the field. He won individual silver at the Hangzhou Asian Games with 251.3 and also secured mixed-team silver at Paris 2024. His Korean teammate Shin Minki arrives after winning silver at the 2026 Munich World Cup.

Kazakhstan’s Islam Satpayev also brings major-event experience after winning mixed-team bronze at Paris 2024. Japan will be represented by veteran Naoya Okada, a two-time Olympian and 2026 Asian Championships bronze medallist.

Qualification leaves little room for error

The men’s qualification consists of 60 shots, with scores calculated to decimal tenths. The top eight advance to the 24-shot final, while the combined qualification scores of each country’s three shooters determine the team championship.

The supplied analysis estimates that the qualification cut for the individual final could fall between 631.8 and 632.4, underlining how small the margins can be in elite 10m air rifle.

For India, the challenge is therefore two-fold: three consistent qualification scores are required for the team competition, while individual ambitions depend on finishing inside the top eight.

The event also represents an important early benchmark on the road towards Los Angeles 2028. India has the experience of Patil, the emerging quality of Mane and Dhillon’s recent scoring form. China arrives with exceptional depth, while Korea, Kazakhstan and Japan provide additional competition.

At the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery, every tenth will matter. For India’s three shooters, the objective is straightforward: reproduce their best qualification form, remain composed through 60 shots and give themselves the opportunity to fight for medals in the final.