Himanshu Dhillon has emerged as one of the new faces of Indian shooting after a memorable outing at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya.
The 20-year-old from Jind, Haryana, first helped India win silver in the men’s 10m air rifle team event, alongside Rudrankksh Patil and Parth Mane.
The Indian trio scored 1890.1 points, finishing behind China’s world-record 1899.0. Dhillon contributed 630.0, finishing seventh in the individual qualification and earning a place in the eight-shooter final.
He then went on to claim silver in the individual 10m air rifle event, adding a second Asian Games medal to his breakthrough campaign.
Who is Himanshu Dhillon?
Himanshu Dhillon, 20, from Jind, Haryana, is one of India’s emerging 10m air rifle shooters. He initially tried wrestling before taking up shooting after a coach spotted his potential. Dhillon won junior gold at the 2025 ISSF Junior World Cup in New Delhi and later made his senior breakthrough with a mixed-team bronze at the 2026 ISSF World Cup in Hangzhou.
Himanshu Dhillon turned Shooter from Wrestling
Dhillon’s sporting journey did not begin with a rifle. Growing up in Haryana, he was initially encouraged to try wrestling, with his family influenced by a family friend who had competed at the Olympics. However, the experiment lasted only a few weeks after Dhillon decided that combat sports were not for him.
His family subsequently took him to a shooting facility in his hometown. A coach spotted his calm temperament and believed he had the qualities required for competitive shooting.
There was also a significant financial commitment involved. His first rifle reportedly cost around ₹3 lakh, with the family initially being assured that it could be resold with only a small loss if the experiment did not work out.
Junior Success, Then Senior Breakthrough
Dhillon announced himself internationally by winning 10m air rifle junior gold at the ISSF Junior World Cup in New Delhi in 2025. His winning final score was 250.9.
In July 2026, he took the next major step by winning bronze in the 10m air rifle mixed-team event at the ISSF World Cup in Hangzhou with Sonam Maskar. It was his first senior ISSF World Cup medal and first senior World Cup final.
Now, with Asian Games team and individual silver medals, Dhillon has quickly moved from promising junior to an established name in India’s senior rifle-shooting setup.