Neeru Dhanda Creates History, Wins India’s First Individual Gold At Asian Games 2026

Neeru Dhanda ended India’s wait for an individual gold medal at the Asian Games 2026 with a sensational victory in the women’s trap event.

The Indian shooter produced a composed display despite heavy rain at the Aichi Prefecture General Shooting Gallery, finishing the final with 28 hits from 30 targets. Her performance also saw her better the previous Asian record by four shots.

Also Check: Asian Games 2026 Live Updates, Day 11

Neeru Dhanda Dominates Trap Final to Make History

The 26-year-old Army shooter entered the final series with a two-point advantage and held her nerve under pressure. She produced a perfect five-shot series at a crucial stage of the contest, keeping China’s Sun Yunong at bay.

Neeru eventually finished with 28/30 to take the gold medal, while Sun claimed silver with 26/30. Kuwait’s Hajar Abdulmalik took bronze after recording 21/25. The triumph marked India’s first-ever individual gold in the women’s trap event at the Asian Games.

The victory adds another landmark achievement to Neeru’s breakthrough 2026 season. Earlier this year, she became the first Indian woman to win an individual ISSF World Cup gold in women’s trap at Lonato, Italy. She has now followed that success with a historic Asian Games title.

Neeru’s journey to the top has been anything but conventional. Hailing from Jind in Haryana, she was introduced to shooting through her cousin Lakshay Sheoran, who won a trap silver medal at the 2018 Asian Games. She initially trained alongside him and even used a gun lent by her cousin.

She joined the Madhya Pradesh Shooting Academy in 2019 and gradually established herself on the international circuit. Her first World Championship appearance came in 2022, before she won Asian Championship gold in 2025.

Now a Naib Subedar in the Corps of Military Police, Neeru trains at the Army Marksmanship Unit in Mhow. Her historic Asian Games triumph caps a remarkable rise from practising with a family gun in Haryana to becoming one of India’s leading trap shooters.