India's Dhanush wins air rifle gold, Murtaza settles for silver in Deaflympics

Shooter Dhanush Srikanth continued to excel and evolve on the global stage, winning the men's 10m air rifle gold medal to open India's account in the Deaflympics in Tokyo on Sunday.

The 23-year-old, who made his Deaflympic debut at the age of 19 in 2022 in Caxias Do Sul (Brazil) and immediately made a huge statement by winning two gold, came up with another superb performance by setting the Deaf Final World Record of 252.2 on way to the top-podium spot.

Compatriot Mohammed Murtaza Vania finished with a score of 250.1 in the final to take the silver medal while South Korea's Baek Seunghak settled for bronze with a score of 223.6.

The champion shooter, who trains in Hyderabad, qualified for the finals in first position with a score of 630.6 — a Deaflympic record — while Murtaza (626.3) was a distant second.

In the final, Dhanush, who is a national camper based in the National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) at the Karni Singh Ranges in Delhi, broke both the Deaflympics and Deaf Final World Record to add a second men's 10m air rifle Deaflympics gold to his name.

During the 2022 Deaflympics in Caxias Do Sul he had won both the individual and mixed team gold.

The marksman, competing in an international competition after more than a year - he last took part at the World Deaf Shooting Championship in 2024 at Hanover winning three gold medals - will aim for a fourth career Deaflympics gold medal when he pairs with Mahit Sandhu on Monday in the 10m air rifle mixed team event.

Sandhu, 20, clinched the silver medal in women's 10m air rifle with a score of 250.5. Compatriot Komal Waghmare (228.3) took the bronze, while Ukraine's Lydkova Violeta bagged the gold with a world record score of 252.4.

Sandhu qualified in second place for the eight-shooter final, tallying 623.4, while Waghmare (622.0) was third.

"Dhanush sounded quite confident yesterday when I spoke to him," said his mother Asha Srikanth from Hyderabad.

"His ranking has been fluctuating since December last year when he competed in the National Shooting Championships, but the performance will give him a lot of encouragement," said Asha about her son, who had risen to No.1 in the country after clinching silver at the Nationals.

Deaf shooters compete with normal athletes in the Nationals and also get selected for national camps and international competitions based on their rankings.

"Dhanush last competed at the Deaf Championships in Hanover last year. His ranking has fluctuated after December 2024, which is the reason he could not make it to the World Cups, Asian Championships and other competitions," said Asha.

"But he is back in the top 10 in India, which is good," she said.

The marksman, who was born with a congenital hearing impairment, has undergone two cochlear implants.

"He is a cochlear implant child, had two surgeries at the age of one year and then at nine. He can't speak, he just speaks a few words, and most of it (explanation) is through actions," said Dhanush's mother. "He hears through his machine, otherwise he manages."