Himanshu Dhillon wins two silver medals at Asian Games, dedicates success to father and farming roots

India's Rudrankksh Patil, left, wins bronze medal and Himanshu Dhillon wins Silver medal (PTI Photo)

Himanshu Dhillon is a diehard Sunny Deol fan. His father, Shamsher Dhillon, has a doctorate in agriculture. The shooter’s motivational mantra, then, paraphrases a famous dialogue of his idol, his father’s profession and the farming he tried during the pandemic. “Yeh kisaan ka haath hai. Yeh lohe ko pighla kar uska aakaar badal deta hai (This is the hand of a farmer. He melts iron and shapes it).” On Monday, Dhillon didn’t melt metal; instead, he shot two of them, both silver, in the 10m air rifle at the Aichi Prefecture Shooting Range. First, the Asian Games debutant teamed up with Rudrankksh Patil and Parth Mane to clinch the men’s team silver. He returned later in the afternoon and, in a pulsating display of composure, concentration and precision, finished second (252.4) in the individual event, opening his individual tally at the senior international level. Patil, who at one stage held a 1.5-point lead, faltered and settled for bronze (230.9). It took a Games record by the reigning Olympic and Asian Games champion Lihao Sheng (254.2) to climb to the top of the podium. The Chinese shooter bettered his mark of 253.3 from the previous Games. Dhillon’s father sends him motivational messages daily. On the day, first came his 21st birthday wishes, followed by a message which read: “Whatever happens, you need to add a medal for India. The colour of the medal depends on you.” The message, in his native tongue, seemed to strike a chord. While Patil hit the front, Sheng and Dhillon played catch-up. A 10.2 and 9.7 relegated Patil. Dhillon was also pegged back by a 9.8, which gave the Chinese the unassailable lead, but his three 10.9s did the trick. It was a contest of fine margins, with four 10.9s in an elimination series and three shoot-offs deciding positions.From wrestling to shooting Dhillon’s journey is only beginning, but the junior World Cup gold medallist already has an eye on the legacy he would like. In shooting, he idolises Abhinav Bindra. His sporting hero, though, is Virat Kohli. “I’m very inspired by Virat Kohli,” he said.

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As he walked away with two silver medals around his neck, the significance of the day was not lost on him. “This is the best birthday gift I could have given myself,” he said. But he did not begin as a shooter. Inspired by his uncle Hardeep Singh Dhillon, who represented India in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2016 Rio Olympics, his father enrolled him in an akhada. It took just two weeks to realise wrestling was not for him. “I found wrestling a bit hard, so I later opted for shooting while studying in a Gurukul in Kudri,” he said with a laugh. Once he found his calling at the range, his family backed him despite financial constraints. “My parents left our village for me. It’s their sacrifices that have got me here,” he said.

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