Photo via Hindustan Times

Asian Games: How shooter Himanshu Dhillon tamed nerves, shot silver

4 behind China's Sheng Lihao. Coached by national high-performance rifle instructor Manoj Kumar and backed by his family from Alewa village in Jind, the young debutant maintained exceptional composure under pressure during his major international multi-sport debut.

Despite a slow beginning, Dhillon steadily climbed into the medal standings and held his position while compatriot Rudrankksh Patil dropped to third place.

His path to the continental squad included strong performances in the selection trials where he surpassed veteran Arjun Babuta, following previous junior successes at the ISSF Junior World Cup in New Delhi, the Suhl World Cup, and the Asian Championships. Former competitor and current coach Joydeep Karmakar noted that the rookie's lack of prior senior-level exposure worked to his advantage as he competed without visible tension.

Coach Manoj Kumar had advised Dhillon to mask any emotional anxiety by adopting a determined game face ahead of his qualification.