In a sporting world that chases glory and believes truly only in gold, Rudrankksh Patil knows true happiness lives in any medal, the metal be damned. At the Asian Games in Nagoya, 22-year-old Thane-based Patil stood on the podium believing that at least he was on the podium and not off it, accepting his double medal, a team silver (1890.1 points) and an individual bronze (230.9), with the quiet grace of a sage who has seen many a storm.

Winning an individual bronze and team silver alongside Himanshu Dhillon and Parth Mane isn’t just a success at the Asian Games; it’s a relief for a shooter who in the past five to six months has wrestled with his own mind, understood mechanical failures, and tried to run ahead of the shadow of unrealised expectations.