The victory marks the latest and biggest achievement in a rapid rise that has established Dhanda as one of India’s leading international trap shooters….reports Asian Lite News Desk
For Neeru Dhanda, the journey to Asian Games gold has been built one target at a time. On Tuesday, the 26-year-old Indian shooter reached a milestone that had remained beyond every Indian female trap shooter before her.
Dhanda produced a composed performance in the women’s trap individual final in Aichi-Nagoya, recording 28 hits to claim the gold medal and set a new Asian record. China’s Sun Yunong finished with silver after 26 hits, while Kuwait’s Hajar Abdulmalik took bronze with 21.
The victory marks the latest and biggest achievement in a rapid rise that has established Dhanda as one of India’s leading international trap shooters.
Based at Dr KSSR in New Delhi, Dhanda is also part of the Indian Army Marksmanship Unit, serving as a Naib Subedar. She first represented India at the 2022 ISSF World Championship in Osijek and has since become a regular presence on the international shooting circuit.
Her breakthrough continued at the 2025 Asian Shooting Championship, where she won the women’s trap title.
Earlier this year, she reached another landmark at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Lonato, Italy, becoming the first Indian woman to win an individual World Cup gold in women’s trap. She also secured a mixed-team bronze at the World Cup in Almaty.
The Asian Games victory adds another significant chapter to a year that has transformed Dhanda’s profile in international shooting.
Her performance in the final also highlighted her ability to recover from an error without allowing it to affect her overall rhythm.
After a clean opening series, Dhanda missed once in her second series and briefly fell behind Sun and Abdulmalik. She responded by producing two successive perfect series, quickly restoring her advantage.
At the halfway stage, Dhanda had hit 19 of 20 targets and established a two-hit lead over her closest challengers. She maintained her composure through the closing stages and finished with 28 hits to secure the gold.
The result also carries a family connection for Dhanda. The shooter from Jind, Haryana, was inspired to take up the sport by her cousin Lakshay Sheoran, who won silver in men’s trap at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.
Seven years after Sheoran’s achievement, Dhanda has gone one step further by claiming Asian Games gold.
India has traditionally enjoyed greater success in rifle and pistol events than in shotgun disciplines, making Dhanda’s achievement a notable moment for Indian trap shooting.
Her gold also follows a team silver earlier in the Games, but the individual final offered Dhanda the opportunity to create history on her own.
This time, she was not chasing the field. She was the shooter everyone else had to catch.
Dhanda’s victory gives India a landmark individual gold in women’s trap and adds another major title to a breakthrough year in which she has already made history at the World Cup and Asian Shooting Championship.
