India's young shooter, Dhanush Srikant, opened India's medal tally by winning the gold medal in the men's 10m air rifle event at the ongoing Deaflympics in Tokyo. The 23-year-old Dhanush also set a Deaf Finals World Record by scoring 252.2 points in the final.
Sports News: India has made a spectacular start at the Deaflympics 2025 with a b performance in shooting. India's young shooter, Dhanush Srikant, opened the country's medal count by winning the gold medal in the men's 10m air rifle event. In this competition, Dhanush not only broke the Deaflympics record but also claimed the Deaf Finals World Record by scoring 252.2 points in the final.
Dhanush's stellar performance has raised India's hopes further, while his teammate Mohammad Murtaza Vania secured the silver medal with a score of 250.1 points. Back Seung-hak of South Korea clinched the bronze medal with 223.6 points.
Dhanush Also Set a Record in Qualification
Dhanush established a Deaflympics record by scoring 630.6 points in the qualification round. Meanwhile, Murtaza finished second with 626.3 points. In the final, Dhanush's consistency and mental fortitude made him the winner. This is Dhanush's second men's 10m air rifle Deaflympics gold of his career.
He had previously won gold in both the individual and mixed team events at the Caxias do Sul Deaflympics in 2022. Dhanush's performance has proven that he has become a key player for India, not just at the national level but also in international competitions.
Preparing for Fourth Gold in Mixed Team Event
Dhanush will now compete in the 10m air rifle mixed team event on Monday with Mahit Sandhu. In this event, his aim is to win his fourth Deaflympics gold of his career. Mahit Sandhu has already won a silver medal in the women's 10m air rifle. In the women's category, India's Komal Waghmare won the bronze medal with 228.3 points, while Ukraine's Lydkova Violeta claimed the gold medal with a world record score of 252.4 points.
Dhanush Srikant's story is highly inspiring. He suffered from a hearing impairment in his childhood, which required him to undergo cochlear implant surgery twice – first at the age of one and then again at nine. Dhanush's mother, Asha Srikant, stated, "Dhanush was very confident yesterday. His ranking had fluctuated a bit since last year, but this performance is very motivating for him." She added that Dhanush uses a machine to hear and primarily communicates through gestures.
