‘Moment of Immense Pride’: President Murmu Hails Neeru Dhanda’s Historic Asian Games Gold

Dhanda became the first Indian woman to win an individual trap gold at the Asian Games after producing a score of 28 in the final at the Aichi Prefecture General Shooting Gallery. Her performance also earned her a new Asian record and marked India's first individual trap medal at the continental event.

“It is a moment of immense pride to see the Tiranga fly high in Aichi-Nagoya as Neeru Dhanda wins India’s first individual Gold Medal at the Asian Games 2026,” President Murmu wrote on X.

“My heartiest congratulations to you on your historic victory in the Women’s Trap individual event and on setting a new Asian record. May this golden moment inspire many more young Indians to take up shooting and strive for excellence,” she added.

Dhanda's gold came on a memorable day for Indian trap shooting. Earlier, she had teamed up with Aashima Ahlawat and Manisha Keer to win silver in the women's trap team event. The Indian trio finished with a combined score of 328.

The Haryana shooter carried her strong qualification performance into the individual final after topping the preliminary stage with 118 points. Despite an early miss that temporarily left her third, Dhanda quickly recovered and moved back to the top with a series of successful shots.

She recorded 19 hits from her opening 20 attempts and maintained her composure through the closing stages to secure the gold.

China's Sun Yunong finished second with 26 hits to claim silver, while Kuwait's Hajar Abdulmalik won bronze with 21.

The Asian Games triumph adds another major achievement to what has already been a breakthrough year for Dhanda. Earlier in 2026, she became the first Indian woman to win an individual ISSF World Cup gold in women's trap at the Shotgun World Cup in Lonato, Italy.

She also won a bronze medal in the trap mixed team event at the ISSF World Cup in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Dhanda's historic victory delivered India's second shooting gold medal of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games and took the country's overall gold medal tally to five.