Haryana: Jind erupts in joy as village boy Himanshu Dhillon strikes double silver in Asian Games

As Himanshu competed at the Asian Games, his family members and villagers watched his performance live on television, anxiously following every shot before breaking into celebrations

Dahola village in Jind district erupted in celebration on Monday as its 20-year-old boy Himanshu Dhillon, on his birthday, clinched two silver medals in the men’s 10m air rifle event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, turning years of struggle, sacrifices and financial uncertainty by his farmer family into a moment of collective pride.

Shooter Himanshu Dhillon’s uncle, aunt and grandmother celebrating his victory, at Dahola village in Jind on Monday. (HT)

As Himanshu competed at the Asian Games, his family members and villagers watched his performance live on television, anxiously following every shot before breaking into celebrations after he secured the medals. Sweets were distributed in the village as relatives, neighbours and friends gathered to celebrate the achievement of the youngster who had once picked up shooting almost by chance.

Himanshu’s father, Shamsher Dhillon, said the family was now preparing to give him a grand welcome when he returns home. A road show will be organised in the village to honour the shooter and celebrate his achievement with the entire community.

“We will give him a warm welcome. A grand roadshow will be organised when he returns. This is not only our family’s achievement but the achievement of the entire village,” Shamsher said.

Himanshu’s aunt Kiran said his victory had given the entire village a reason to smile. “The whole village is happy today. Himanshu’s success has brought a reason to smile for every family here. We will celebrate his achievement in a big way and give him a memorable welcome,” she said.

For the Dhillon family, however, Monday’s celebrations carry a deeper significance. Buying a rifle worth around ₹ 3 lakh for their teenage son in 2021 was not simply a sporting investment. It involved borrowing money from friends, cutting household expenses and eventually making the difficult choice of focusing resources on one son’s sporting career.

“When we started, we did not know where this would lead. We controlled our expenses and had to take our younger son away from shooting and make him focus on his studies because of financial limitations. But we invested in Himanshu and never allowed financial difficulties to come in the way of his sport,” Shamsher said.

Himanshu initially took up wrestling in 2018, inspired by his uncle Hardeep Singh. Shooting entered his life almost by chance when he got an opportunity to train at a shooting range.

Coach Kuldeep Nehra of Nehra Shooting Club in Kaithal recognised his potential and encouraged him to pursue the sport seriously. Shamsher borrowed money from friends to purchase the rifle, saying shooting was an expensive sport and the family could not afford to support both sons in the discipline.

The sacrifices eventually began yielding results when Himanshu won gold in the men’s 10m air rifle at the 2025 ISSF Junior World Cup in New Delhi and followed it with gold medals in the junior men’s 10m air rifle and mixed team events at the 2026 Asian Rifle/Pistol Championships in New Delhi.

With the cost of competing at the international level continuing to rise, the family also sought outside assistance. The O P Jindal Trust started a scholarship of ₹25,000 per month for Himanshu.