Shooter Dhanush Srikanth delivered a commanding performance to secure India’s first medal of the Tokyo Deaflympics on Sunday, claiming gold in the men’s 10m air rifle with a Deaf Final World Record score of 252.2.

The 23-year-old, who made an immediate mark at his debut Deaflympics in Caxias do Sul in 2022 by winning two gold medals, dominated the field once again. He topped qualification with 630.6, another Deaflympic record, before carrying that momentum into the final, where he broke both the Deaflympics and Deaf Final World Record.

Compatriot Mohammed Murtaza Vania ensured an Indian one-two with a score of 250.1 for silver, while South Korea’s Baek Seunghak claimed bronze with 223.6.

Dhanush, who trains in Hyderabad and is a national camper at the National Centre of Excellence at the Karni Singh Ranges in Delhi, will bid for a fourth career Deaflympics gold when he partners Mahit Sandhu in the 10m air rifle mixed team event on Monday. At the 2022 Games, he had won both the individual and mixed team titles.

The marksman returned to international competition after more than a year, having last competed at the World Deaf Shooting Championship in Hanover in 2024, where he secured three gold medals.

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Sandhu, 20, added to India’s medal tally earlier in the day with silver in the women’s 10m air rifle, scoring 250.5. Compatriot Komal Waghmare won bronze with 228.3, while Ukraine’s Lydkova Violeta took gold with a world record 252.4. Sandhu had qualified in second place with 623.4, followed by Waghmare on 622.0.

Dhanush’s mother, Asha Srikanth, said, “Dhanush sounded quite confident yesterday when I spoke to him.” She added that his fluctuating ranking over the past year had been a challenge but Sunday’s performance would “give him a lot of encouragement”.

“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 is through actions,” she said. “He hears through his machine, otherwise he manages.”

Deaf shooters compete alongside able-bodied athletes at the Nationals and are selected for national camps and international events based on their rankings. Asha said her son had returned to the top 10 in India, describing the development as “good”.