Indian shooter Neeru Dhanda wins individual trap gold medal
Indian shooter Neeru Dhanda delivered an exceptional performance on Tuesday to capture first place in the women's individual trap event at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya. She dominated both the qualification rounds and the final session, earning India its fifth top-tier medal of this prestigious sporting gathering. Heavy rain failed to disrupt her focus as she topped an eight-person final with 26 successful hits, as reported by ESPN. Shooting sports have traditionally seen Indian athletes excel in rifle and pistol events, making this shotgun victory especially notable for the national program.
Chinese competitor Sun Yunong and Kuwaiti participant Hajar Abdulmalik tied for second place with 21 points each. Qatari shooter Ray Bassil finished just outside the podium spots in fourth position with a total of 16 points. Dhanda established a strong rhythm early by striking all five targets in her first series. She experienced a brief setback with one miss in the second round but quickly regained her composure. During the critical third round, she recorded a flawless sequence to reclaim the lead. By the end of four series, she had accumulated 19 successful shots out of 20 attempts. After 25 total shots, she held a narrow 23-21 advantage over Sun and Abdulmalik before finishing strong in the elimination phase.
Earlier on Tuesday, Dhanda joined forces with teammates Aashima Ahlawat and Manisha Keer to secure second place in the women's trap team competition. They posted a combined score of 328, while China took first place with 346 and Kuwait finished third with 325. Dhanda led the Indian trio by successfully hitting 118 out of 125 targets. This individual victory continues a highly successful year for the Naib Subedar from the Indian Army Marksmanship Unit. She previously earned her first ISSF World Cup victory in Lonato, Italy, this past July. She began participating in this sport after watching her cousin Lakshay Sheoran earn a silver medal at the 2018 Jakarta games.
With Inputs from Agency Threads and Image Courtesy: ANI
