Rudrankksh is undoubtedly among the most talented shooters in India and will continue to shine, considering the way he has risen in the Shooting world in just a span of a few months.
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August 11, 2008, will go down as one of the most memorable days for Indian Sports fans. It was the day when India’s rifle shooter Abhinav Bindra brought laurels to the country by becoming the first athlete of the country to win an Individual gold medal in the history of the Summer Olympic Games. Bindra had entered the competition as a prime medal contender and he lived up to the expectations of his countrymen. Abhinav Bindra, then 25, became the Olympic champion after scoring a near-perfect 10.8 on his final shot in the men’s 10m air rifle shooting event at the Beijing Olympics 2008. Henri Häkkinen of Finland, who won the qualification round, was tied with Abhinav Bindra until the last shot but missed at the key moment and scored 9.7 on his final shot. In contrast, the Indian shot a nearly flawless 10.8 to etch his name in history. Abhinav finished the 10m men’s air rifle competition with a score of 700.5, beating Athens Olympics 2004 gold medalist Zhu Qinan.
Since Abhinav Bindra’s victory, India has established itself as one of the powerhouses in Shooting. The world has witnessed India’s dominance in international tournaments in both ISSF and WSPS World Cups/Championships. However, shooting is all about accuracy and precision and world rankings don’t usually matter as anyone can win on a given day. As a result of which, consistency is very rare to find in the sport of Shooting. If we talk about the shooter who has been making waves for India in the international arena, he is none other than Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil. Let’s take a look at how the world no.1 Rudrankksh rose to fame and is currently one of the mega favorites in the men’s 10m air rifle competition in Paris Olympics 2024.
Rudrankksh made headlines for the first time in 2021 when he bagged the silver medal at the ISSF Junior World Championships 2021 held in Lima, Peru where he was narrowly defeated by Tokyo Olympic champion from the United States of America’s William Shaner in the gold medal playoff. The final was a neck-a-neck fight between the two, but the Indian missed the gold by a whisker as his final score read 250 against Shaner’s 250.7. He had earlier qualified for the final with a score of 630.2.
Rudrankksh went on to defeat compatriot Abhinav Shaw to claim the top position at the ISSF Junior World Cup 2022 in Suhl, Germany. He got past Abhinav by 17-13 in the final which took place in the new format implemented by the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF). In the ranking round, Rudrankksh topped the round, scoring 260.9 while Abhinav shot 257.7 to confirm a 1-2 finish for India. This was also his last tournament in the junior circuit.
It was the breakthrough tournament for the 18-year-old as he not only secured the Paris Olympics 2024 quota for India but also became the world champion in the men’s 10m air rifle competition. He defeated Danilo Dennis Sollazzo of Italy by 17-13 in the final. He took first place in the qualification round with a score of 633.9. Rudrankksh, competing in his first World Championship, was down 4-10 in the gold medal match. The Indian shooter made an incredible comeback to win the competition after the Italian shooter held the lead for the duration of the competition.
Patil was competing in his first world championships and stood out in a field that included Tokyo 2020 silver medalist Lihao Sheng and bronze medalist Haoran Yang. He also followed in the footsteps of the men’s air rifle world champion Abhinav Bindra, who became India’s first individual Olympic gold medalist. The renowned Indian shooter also triumphed in the same competition in Zagreb in the year 2006.
After gaining control of the World title, Rudrankksh claimed the ISSF President’s Cup 2022, once again defeating his opponent during the World Championship, Italy’s Danilo Dennis Sollazzo with a final scorecard that read 16-8. At the ISSF President’s Cup earlier, Rudrankksh defeated Slovakia’s Patrik Jany, a Tokyo Olympian, 16-10 in the semifinals after edging out former world number one Istvan Peni of Hungary to take first place in the ranking round. With this, he earned the International Shooting Sport Federation’s Golden Target award, which is presented to the top athlete of the year in the category (ISSF). Post his stunning performances in various ISSF tournaments and consistency throughout the season, Rudrannksh was announced as the World No. 1 according to the latest rankings released by ISSF.
Read more: Shooting, President’s Cup 2022: Find Out the Team Standings and Results of the Indian Contingent
According to many, Rudrankksh is showing glimpses of how Abhinav Bindra used to perform in international competitions during the initial stages of his shooting career. However, it will be unfair to compare Rudrankksh with Abhinav Bindra’s achievements and consider him his successor. Rudrankksh is undoubtedly among the most talented shooters in India and will continue to shine, considering the way he has risen in the Shooting world in just a span of a few months.
