Rudrankksh Patil wins 10m air rifle bronze for India at Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya
Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil won the bronze medal in the 10m air rifle at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya on Monday.
Three years ago Patil, then 19, was talked about as a potential successor to Abhinav Bindra after a run of strong performances, but he stumbled by finishing fourth in the 10m air rifle at the 2023 Asian Games and missed out on selection for the Paris Olympics despite holding an Olympic quota for two years after becoming the first Indian shooter to earn one. Still only 22, he is now representing India in both 10m air rifle and 50m rifle 3-Positions, the latter added after the Paris disappointment in 2024.
Patil led for almost 70% of Monday’s final before slipping to third and securing bronze, a result he welcomed given his recent ups and downs. “I am very happy with bronze because a lot of things could have gone wrong but all of it ended well. I would like to see the positives rather than the negatives,” he said.
Reflecting on missing the Olympics, Patil said the wider impact on his family and support staff affected him more than the result itself, and described how he processed the setback. “The sad part was seeing my parents and support staff. I was fine, honestly. My initial thought was: ‘I competed in 13 events and won 11. It’s just this one match that I lost, not a big deal’. But when I realised everyone was looking forward to that one match and were sad after watching me work hard, I was affected. “I was actually sad because all the hard work which I had put in did not yield the result. But then, I started seeing the facts. It’s not that I was not selected because my score was bad: it was because one person shot a really high score. And I could not compete with that. Secondly, I always evaluate what I could have done better after a competition... the mistakes I made. But after that, I had nothing. I had given my best, my everything. I was able to figure things out and move forward. “I started in a new event. My way of taking a break was getting back to shooting but it was on my terms. I used to go to the range but with no set schedule. I trained as I liked, whenever or however I liked... sometimes for hours, sometimes maybe for just 15 to 20 minutes. It was just a part of my life in which I had to be patient, I had to be persistent. I gradually built up my love for the sport again and started enjoying it,” Rudrankksh explained the dark phase.
Patil described how stress had earlier affected his health and routines and how his relationship with results has altered as he learns to manage fatigue and priorities. “When I lost, I would be down in the dumps. When I won, I used to feel like wanting to continue the streak no matter what — whether my sleep was affected, my hands were shaking, I was tired and ready to drop dead. Nothing mattered, only winning did. It has changed now but I am still learning how my body works. I learnt that fatigue is something which builds up during the Olympic time. I know I need to be more strategic and dissociated from the results.” He also refers to himself as the “chosen one” for the string of setbacks beyond his control and recounted equipment and logistic mishaps: after his match a strap broke, his gun auto-fired in the Peru World Cup final and he had a visa rejected. “Only my visa gets rejected,” he shrugged.
Patil admitted his late error in the final was his own doing and used it as a learning point about composure. “This gives me a kick, reminding me that I need to be calm till the last moment. I was too excited for the shot and I released before calming down. I think all the accumulated things over the last six months... perhaps it was just the way the body reacted once a medal was confirmed. The last time I spoke to you, I said I was looking to improve my rank, and that’s exactly what happened. Perhaps I need to watch what comes out of my mouth the next time,” he quipped.
He credited institutional support for his development in 50m 3P, naming TOPS CEO then Cmdr. P.K. Garg and training in Serbia with Olympic medallist Milenko Sebic, and outlined a steady climb in national trials. “The TOPS CEO then (Cmdr. P.K. Garg) was very supportive. He sanctioned my trip to Serbia for training with Olympic medallist Milenko Sebic. And he was impressed. The National coaches guided me on the right equipment, ammunition suppliers and provided the shots. Everything came together and in 2025, I participated in my first trials. I was in top-10, then top-6, now top-3. I hope to continue this.” On his domestic rivalry with Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Patil said: “I don’t and can’t compare myself with him in 3P because he is the best in the country for the past seven to eight years. This year, I was able to play with him in three international tournaments: my aim every time was to score around 587 points while he shot above 590 in all. I don’t compare myself with him in 10m because I feel I am better. I have proved myself in it more than him and I have been in the 10m team for as long as he’s been in 3P. But yes, there are times when he shoots 10m better than everyone. In fact, he is also one of my inspirations to try two events — if he can do it, why can’t I?”
Patil said the Asian Games will help him complete the initial set of targets he had for himself and listed the milestones of his career to date, while noting one lingering regret about national recognition. “I won the World championship, then the World Cup Final, World Cups, got the World No. 1 title, the World Record. This year, I won the Asian championship for the first time after finishing fourth repeatedly. The only regret is that despite all this, I have not even been considered for an Arjuna Award so far. I even won my first National-level tournament this year. But there is the Olympics to complete the set, maybe they will recognise after that,” he signed off.