Indian shooting duo secures historic mixed trap team gold
Indian shooters Neeru Dhanda and Kynan Chenai made history on Wednesday by winning gold in the mixed trap team event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Scoring 34 points, they surpassed the previous Asian Games record of 30, which Qatar set earlier this year. Qatar finished second with a score of 32 to claim silver, while China took bronze with 23 points. This victory gives India its first-ever gold medal in the Trap Mixed Team event at the continental competition. Shooting has consistently remained a strong point for Indian athletes at international multi-sport events, and this performance further solidifies their dominance in clay target disciplines.
Stellar Run for Neeru Dhanda in Japan
Neeru continues her impressive form after securing the women's individual trap gold medal on Tuesday. She battled rainy conditions to finish first among eight finalists with a score of 26. China's Sun Yunong and Kuwait's Hajar Abdulmalik scored 21 points each, and Qatar's Ray Bassil finished fourth with 16 points. By doing so, Neeru became the first Indian woman to win an individual Asian Games gold in trap shooting. She also recorded an Asian record during her qualification debut, missing just two targets out of 30 to score 28. Furthermore, she secured a silver medal in the women's trap team event alongside Aashima Ahlawat and Manisha Keer. India scored 328 points, finishing behind China's 346, with Neeru standing out as the top performer by hitting 118 out of 125 targets. Kuwait took the bronze medal with 325 points.
This mixed team victory marks India's ninth gold at the 2026 Asian Games and the third gold of the day. The country now holds 56 medals in total, including nine golds, 21 silvers, and 26 bronzes. The shooting contingent alone has contributed 15 medals, consisting of three golds, eight silvers, and four bronzes. Beyond shooting, Indian athletes found significant success in archery. The women's compound team, featuring Jyothi Vennam, Chikitha Taniparthi, and Prithika Pradeep, defeated China 238-234 to secure another gold. They previously beat South Korea 234-233 in a close semifinal match. In addition to the women's team success, Chikitha Taniparthi and Sahil Jadhav advanced to the compound mixed team final. They edged past Thailand 156-155 in their semifinal clash and booked a spot in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics with their title victory. Finally, Commonwealth Games gold medalist boxer Priya Ghanghas earned a bronze medal in the women's 60 kg category after losing her semifinal bout to China's Yang Chengyu.
With Inputs from Agency Threads and Image Courtesy: ANI
