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Shooter Neeru Dhanda records Asian Games history, wins trap shooting gold for India
Neeru is the first Indian woman to clinch gold in the trap event, a moment that came hours after she was part of the Indian trio that won the silver medal in the team event.
Neeru Dhanda won India's fifth gold medal of the 2026 Asian Games. (PTI Photo)
Trap shooter Neeru Dhanda made history on Tuesday at the 2026 Asian Games, winning gold in the women’s individual event. She is the Indian woman to clinch gold in the event and her moment came just hours after she had won silver in the women’s team event, along side Manisha Keer and Aashima Ahlawat. This is India’s fifth gold medal of the ongoing Asiad in Aichi-Nagoya overall.
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The 26-year-old Neeru produced a score of 28 in the eight-shooter final, breaking the previous Asian record of 24 en route to the gold medal, edging out China’s Yunong Sun who finished with a score of 26.
India’s last individual gold in the trap event was back in 1978 when Randhir Singh, who passed away earlier this year. The former President of the Olympic Council of Asia, won the gold medal in men’s trap in Bangkok.
Earlier this year, Neeru won the gold in the women’s trap event at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup 2026 in Lonato, Italy. It was Neeru’s first-ever individual medal at the ISSF World Cup and the second overall in her career.
Neeru, who hails from Haryana’s Jind district, is the reigning national champion and missed just three shots in the eight-shooter final then to win the gold medal. France’s Carole Cormenier, a former world champion, settled for silver with 25, while Italy’s Erica Sessa claimed the bronze.
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