Asian Games 2026: Neeru Dhanda wins gold in women's individual trap

Indian shooter Neeru Dhanda clinched the women's individual trap gold at the Asian Games 2026. She topped the final with a score of 26, securing India's fifth gold medal after also winning a silver in the women's trap team event.

Indian shooter Neeru Dhanda produced a dominant performance to win the women's individual trap gold medal at the Asian Games 2026 on Tuesday, securing India's fifth gold of the Aichi-Nagoya Games after topping both qualification and the final.

Dhanda, who had earlier helped India win silver in the women's trap team event, maintained her composure in rainy conditions to finish on top of the eight-shooter final with a score of 26, according to ESPN. China's Sun Yunong and Kuwait's Hajar Abdulmalik finished with 21 points each, while Qatar's Ray Bassil took fourth place with 16 points.

Dominant Final Performance

Dhanda began the final strongly, hitting all five targets in her opening series. She missed once in the second series but recovered immediately and remained in contention before producing a remarkable run in the latter stages.

She hit a perfect series in the third round to move back to the top and followed it with another strong sequence, reaching 19 hits out of 20 shots after four series.

After 25 shots, Dhanda led Sun 23-21, with Hajar also on 21 before being eliminated. The Indian then held her nerve in the decisive stage to seal the gold medal.

A Remarkable Year for Dhanda

The victory capped a remarkable year for Dhanda, who won her maiden ISSF World Cup gold in the women's trap event in Lonato, Italy, in July. The Indian Army Marksmanship Unit shooter, who is also a Naib Subedar, had earlier won the Asian Championship title and has now added an Asian Games gold to her growing list of achievements.

Team Silver and Strong Qualification

Dhanda had topped the individual qualification alongside Qatar's Ray Bassil, which gave her the advantage in the event of a tie in the final.

Earlier on Tuesday, Dhanda, Aashima Ahlawat and Manisha Keer won silver in the women's trap team event with a combined score of 328. China took gold with 346, while Kuwait secured bronze with 325. Dhanda was India's best performer in the team event, scoring 118 out of 125.

Impact on Indian Shooting and Medal Tally

Her individual gold took India's medal tally to 47, comprising five gold, 21 silver and 21 bronze medals.

Dhanda's success is also notable for Indian shotgun shooting, which has traditionally produced fewer major-event medals compared to rifle and pistol disciplines. She took up shooting after being inspired by her cousin Lakshay Sheoran, who won silver in the men's trap event at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. With Tuesday's triumph, Dhanda has now gone one step further than Sheoran on the Asian Games stage, completing a memorable day for Indian shooting. (ANI)

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