India’s first individual gold medal at the Asian Games came from an unexpected shooting discipline, as Army shooter Neeru Dhanda ended the country’s agonising 10-day wait by winning the women’s trap title. The 26-year-old also set a new Asian record with her performance.
The long wait for an individual gold finally ended in spectacular fashion. Competing in heavy rain at the Aichi Pref. General Shooting Gallery on Tuesday, Neeru dominated the women’s trap final to claim the top prize. This came months after she created history by becoming the first Indian woman to win an individual World Cup gold in women’s trap.
Neeru’s triumph was also India’s first-ever individual gold in the women’s trap event at the Asian Games. Earlier in the competition, she had helped India’s women’s team secure a silver medal. She entered the individual event after topping qualification with a score of 118 out of 125, displaying impressive consistency throughout the three-day qualification stage, which involves five rounds under demanding conditions.
In the final, Neeru hit 28 of 30 targets, improving the previous Asian record by four shots. China’s Sun Yunong claimed silver after scoring 26 out of 30, while Kuwait’s Hajar Abdulmalik finished with bronze on 21 out of 25.
Neeru carried a two-shot advantage into the final series. While pressure has previously affected Indian shooters on major stages, she remained composed and focused. Despite the heavy rain, she stayed locked on to her targets.
When it mattered most, Neeru produced a flawless five-shot series to maintain her advantage over Sun Yunong.
She missed just two targets throughout the final, one each in Series 2 and Series 5.
INSPIRED BY COUSIN LAKSHAY
Neeru Dhanda had never initially planned on pursuing shooting professionally. Her introduction to the sport came through her cousin Lakshay Sheoran, who won a silver medal in the trap event at the 2018 Asian Games. Watching Lakshay compete sparked Neeru’s interest, which eventually developed into a serious commitment to the sport.
Lakshay also played an important role during the early stages of her career. Neeru trained alongside him and initially used a gun he had lent her. Before that, she had practised with her family’s double-barrel gun, shooting at tin cans while her father helped her become comfortable with the weapon’s recoil. In 2019, she joined the Madhya Pradesh Shooting Academy and began the journey towards international competition.
Originally from Jind in Haryana, Neeru has gone on to establish herself among India’s leading trap shooters. She made her World Championship debut in Osijek in 2022 and won her first Asian Championship gold in 2025. The following year, she became the first Indian woman to win an individual ISSF World Cup gold in women’s trap, achieving the feat in Lonato, Italy.
Neeru also serves as a Naib Subedar in the Corps of Military Police and trains at the Army Marksmanship Unit in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh. Her career has taken her from Jind and practising with a family gun to competing on the biggest stages of international shooting and standing atop an Asian Games podium.
