Neeru Dhanda Made Asian Games History As Her Mother Went To Collect BPL Ration - Then Came The Call

When Neeru Dhanda's mother learnt that her daughter had won her first gold medal at the Asian Games, she was not watching the competition on television or following the result on a smartphone. She was at a ration shop in Sangatpura village in Haryana's Jind district, collecting wheat under the Below Poverty Line (BPL) scheme.

Sudesh Devi was clutching her BPL ration card when she received the news that her daughter had made history in Japan.

"I was going to get the ration under the poverty line," Sudesh told ANI, recalling the moment she learnt that Neeru had won gold at the 2026 Asian Games.

"Jama gareebi hai, zero balance hai," Sudesh told ANI, describing the family's financial circumstances.

The words carry even greater weight considering the sport Neeru has conquered. Shooting is widely regarded as an elite sport, one that demands expensive firearms, ammunition, specialised training and regular access to shooting ranges.

Yet, from a family struggling with financial hardship, Neeru has risen to become a double Asian Games gold medallist.

The contrast could hardly have been sharper. While her mother was waiting for the family's ration, Neeru was standing on the biggest podium of her career in Japan, becoming the first Indian woman to win an individual Asian Games gold medal in trap shooting.

The 26-year-old did it in record-breaking fashion, hitting 28 of 30 targets in the final to finish ahead of China's Sun Yunong, who managed 26.

Neeru's gold also marked a historic milestone for Indian shooting. Before her, Randhir Singh was India's only individual Asian Games gold medallist in trap shooting, having achieved the feat in 1978.

And Neeru was not done.

A day after her individual triumph, the Jind-born shooter added another gold to her collection, partnering Kynan Darius Chenai in the mixed trap event.

From A Borrowed Gun To Asian Games Glory

Neeru's journey into competitive shooting began without the sophisticated equipment normally associated with the sport.

She started by shooting at tin cans with a family-owned dunaali, a side-by-side double-barrel shotgun. Her father, a farmer, kept the gun to protect crops.

Neeru did not initially have a firearm of her own. According to her father, she began training with a borrowed gun.

A dunaali is markedly different from the specialised sporting shotguns used in competitive trap shooting, but those early sessions provided Neeru with her entry into the discipline.

Her interest in shooting grew after watching her cousin Lakshya Sheoran, an Asian Games medallist, compete in trap. She began practising herself and gradually progressed into competitive shooting.

The journey eventually took her to the ISSF World Cup in Lonato del Garda, Italy, where she became the first Indian woman to win a World Cup gold in women's trap shooting.

She followed that breakthrough with an Asian Championship title before adding two Asian Games gold medals to her growing list of achievements.

A Record-Breaking Asian Games Debut

Neeru's individual gold in Japan was not just historic, it was also backed by a record-setting performance.

She hit 28 of her 30 targets in the final, finishing two hits clear of China's Sun Yunong.

She had already made her presence felt in qualification, where she missed only two targets to register 28 hits and set an Asian Games record on her debut.

Her achievement came despite a disrupted build-up to the continental event.

Neeru was dealing with an infection during the national camp in New Delhi and had little time to practise. Her illness also forced her to arrive in Japan two days later than planned.

The setback did not derail her campaign.

Before winning individual gold, Neeru had also helped India secure silver in the women's trap team event alongside Aashima Ahlawat and Manisha Keer. The Indian trio scored 328 points, finishing behind China's 346, while Kuwait took bronze with 325.

The Army Pathway

Neeru's development as an international shooter has also been closely linked to her career in the Indian Army.

A Naib Subedar in the Corps of Military Police, she has trained at the Army's Marksmanship Unit in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh.

The unit provides specialised training to some of India's leading Army shooters across different disciplines, giving Neeru an environment in which she could develop from a promising shooter into an international-level competitor.

Her journey is particularly striking because trap shooting comes with significant financial demands. Athletes require specialised firearms, ammunition, coaching and regular access to shooting ranges, making the sport difficult to pursue without sustained support.

Neeru's early years were far removed from that world. Yet, through the opportunities available to her, including the Army's sporting system, she continued to progress.

A Family With Sporting Connections

India 2026 Asian Games Medal Tally

Neeru's entry into shooting was influenced by the sporting environment around her.

Her cousin Lakshya Sheoran's success in trap shooting helped inspire her to take up the discipline, while wrestler Somveer, her maternal aunt's son, is another sporting connection in the family.

Her second gold in Japan also brought another notable link to Indian trap shooting history.

Kynan Darius Chenai, Neeru's mixed trap partner, is the son-in-law of Randhir Singh, the Indian shooter who won individual Asian Games gold in trap shooting in 1978.

More than four decades after Randhir's historic achievement, Neeru has now created a landmark of her own by becoming the first Indian woman to win an individual Asian Games gold in the event.