India Shooters Sonam Uttam Maskar And Himanshu Dhillon Win Bronze In 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team

Indian shooters Sonam Uttam Maskar and Himanshu Dhillon won bronze in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team event at the ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun in Hangzhou, China, on July 28, 2026. India also had another pair in the final, with Elavenil Valarivan and Parth Rakesh Mane finishing fourth.

Both Indian teams moved into the final after strong qualification scores. Sonam Uttam Maskar scored 317.2 and Himanshu Dhillon 317.4 for a combined 634.6. Elavenil Valarivan shot 316.8 and Parth Rakesh Mane 317.4, giving them 634.2 and second place in qualification.

Final results in Hangzhou

In the final, Sonam and Himanshu finished with 441.2 points, or 220.6 each, to take bronze behind China 1 and China 2. Elavenil and Parth ended fourth with 378.8 points, with Elavenil on 190.5 and Parth on 188.3 in the medal round.

Sonam Uttam Maskar said the event was tough and called the experience very good. She said winning a medal gives confidence for future assignments. She also said experience matters most and that the result will help India prepare for the Asian Games and the World Championships later this season.

Himanshu Dhillon said it was his first senior ISSF World Cup final and a special moment. He said he trusted himself, his coach’s guidance and his strengths. He has competed in many junior finals before this maiden senior World Cup medal, which made the bronze more meaningful.

Background and medal count

The bronze marked another milestone for 23-year-old Sonam Uttam Maskar from Kolhapur, Maharashtra. She had won silver at the ISSF World Cup in Cairo and the ISSF World Cup Final in New Delhi in 2024, and finished fifth at the ISSF World Cup Granada.

For 20-year-old Himanshu Dhillon from Jind, Haryana, the medal was his first senior ISSF World Cup podium. He had earlier won gold in the 10m Air Rifle Men Junior event at the ISSF Junior World Cup in New Delhi in 2025, before adding another gold at the Asian Shooting Championships.

With this result, India’s total medal tally at the ISSF World Cup Hangzhou rose to four, with one gold, one silver and two bronze medals.