Neeru Dhanda Makes History with Gold at 2026 Asian Games

Historic Achievement in Trap Shooting

Nagoya, Sep 29: Indian trap shooter Neeru Dhanda has made history by winning gold in the women's trap individual event at the 2026 Asian Games, achieving an Asian record score during the final held at the Aichi Pref. General Shooting Gallery.

Neeru, who excelled in the qualification round with a score of 118, set a new Asian record by scoring 28 in the final. This victory marks her as the first Indian woman to secure gold in the trap event at the Asian Games, and she is also the first Indian to earn a medal in the trap individual events at this prestigious competition.

In addition to her gold medal, Neeru also contributed to the Indian team’s silver medal in trap team shooting alongside Aashima Ahlawat and Manisha Keer. The trio achieved a combined score of 328 after three days of the 125-shot qualification round, successfully overcoming the challenge from Kuwait for the silver medal.

Neeru demonstrated exceptional skill in the final, with her only miss occurring on her ninth shot, which briefly placed her in third position. However, she quickly regained her composure, delivering perfect hits in the subsequent rounds and finishing with 19 hits out of 20 shots.

Despite a miss in the fifth series, she secured her gold medal with a flawless final series of five hits.

Yunong Sun from China took home the silver medal with a score of 26, while Kuwait earned the bronze with a score of 21.

This victory represents India's second gold in shooting at this edition of the Asian Games, contributing to a total of five gold medals for India in Aichi-Nagoya.

Earlier this year, Neeru made headlines by becoming the first Indian woman to win an individual ISSF World Cup gold medal in Women’s Trap at the Shotgun World Cup in Lonato, Italy. She also claimed a bronze medal in the Trap Mixed Team event at the ISSF World Cup in Almaty, Kazakhstan.