Asian Games: NRAI President, Secretary General Hail Neeru Dhanda’s Historic Treble

The Indian pair defeated top-seeded Qatar in a closely contested gold-medal match on Wednesday, overcoming a difficult start in the qualification round to secure the title and set an Asian Games record.

India entered the medal round as the fourth-ranked team after Dhanda and Chenai scored 136 in qualification. China, Qatar and Iran finished ahead of them, leaving the Indian pair with little room for error in the knockout stages.

Iran were eliminated first, finishing fourth, before China were knocked out in the next stage to take bronze. India and Qatar then faced off for gold, with Dhanda and Chenai maintaining their composure in the decisive exchanges to overcome the top seeds.

“This has been an extraordinary Asian Games for our trap shooters, and today’s gold is the perfect finish. For Neeru to complete a treble of medals in the space of a few days — individual gold, team silver, and now mixed team gold — is a phenomenal achievement,” Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo said.

“To do it by beating a strong Qatari pair after starting fourth in qualification shows real character. Huge credit to Kynan as well, who continues to deliver for India across formats and editions of the Games,” he added.

NRAI secretary general Pawan Kumar Singh also praised the pair for their response after the qualification round.

“What stood out today was the composure Neeru and Kynan showed after a modest qualification round. To fight back from fourth seed and beat Qatar in the gold-medal match, setting an Asian Games record along the way, speaks to the mental strength we’ve been building into our athletes,” he said.

He added that Dhanda's medals across three formats reflected the growing depth of India's trap shooting programme.

“This kind of result across individual, team, and mixed team events shows the depth of our trap shooting program is finally translating into medals at the biggest stage,” Pawan Kumar Singh said.

The mixed team gold caps a standout campaign for Dhanda, who had already won the women's individual trap gold on Tuesday. Her victory made her the first Indian woman to win an individual Asian Games gold in the discipline.

She subsequently added a team silver alongside Aashima Ahlawat and Manisha Keer before completing her three-medal haul with Wednesday's mixed team victory.

Chenai also added another Asian Games gold to his record. He had previously won men's team trap gold and an individual bronze at the 2022 Asian Games, and Wednesday's victory added another gold to his medal collection.