Daijiworld Media Network – Aichi
Aichi, Sep 29: Army shooter Neeru Dhanda ended India’s 10-day wait for an individual gold medal at the Asian Games by winning the women’s trap event and setting a new Asian record in the process.
The 26-year-old dominated the final at the Aichi Prefecture General Shooting Gallery despite heavy rain, finishing with 28 hits out of 30. Her score bettered the previous Asian record by four shots.
China’s Sun Yunong won silver with 26 out of 30, while Kuwait’s Hajar Abdulmalik claimed bronze with 21 out of 25.
Neeru entered the final series with a two-point lead and maintained her composure under pressure. She produced a perfect five-shot series when it mattered most to keep Sun at bay. She missed only two targets in the final, one each in Series 2 and Series 5.
The victory marked India’s first-ever individual gold in the women’s trap event at the Asian Games. It also came months after Neeru became the first Indian woman to win an individual ISSF World Cup gold in women’s trap at Lonato, Italy.
Neeru did not initially dream of becoming a shooter. Her introduction to the sport came through her cousin Lakshay Sheoran, who won a silver medal in trap at the 2018 Asian Games. Inspired by his performances, she began training alongside him and initially used a gun lent to her by Lakshay.
Before taking up competitive shooting, Neeru practised with her family’s double-barrel gun, shooting at tin cans while her father helped her get accustomed to the recoil. She joined the Madhya Pradesh Shooting Academy in 2019 and gradually progressed to the international stage.
Hailing from Jind in Haryana, Neeru made her World Championship debut in Osijek in 2022 and won her maiden Asian Championship gold in 2025. In 2026, she created history by becoming the first Indian woman to win an individual ISSF World Cup gold in women’s trap.
Neeru is also a Naib Subedar in the Corps of Military Police and trains at the Army Marksmanship Unit in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh. Her journey from practising with a family gun in Jind to winning major international titles has now culminated in an Asian Games gold medal.