Who Is Neeru Dhanda, India’s First Individual Asian Games Gold Medallist in Women’s Trap?

The 26-year-old made history on Tuesday at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games by becoming the first Indian woman to win an individual medal, and gold, in the women's trap event at the continental showpiece.

Competing at the Aichi Prefecture General Shooting Gallery, Dhanda finished the final with 28 successful hits to set a new Asian record and claim the gold medal. China's Sun Yunong won silver with 26 hits, while Kuwait's Hajar Abdulmalik took bronze with 21.

Dhanda trains at Dr KSSR in New Delhi and is also part of the Indian Army Marksmanship Unit, where she serves as a Naib Subedar. She first represented India at the 2022 ISSF World Championship in Osijek and has since established herself on the international shooting circuit.

Her breakthrough began with a major title at the 2025 Asian Shooting Championship, where she won the women's trap event. She then took her career to another level earlier in 2026 at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Lonato, Italy.

Dhanda became the first Indian woman to win an individual World Cup gold in women's trap at the event. She later added a mixed-team bronze at the World Cup in Almaty, further establishing herself as a contender at the highest level.

Her Asian Games final showcased not only her accuracy but also her ability to recover from a mistake. Dhanda began strongly before missing once during her second series, briefly allowing Sun and Abdulmalik to close the gap.

The setback did not affect her rhythm. She responded with two consecutive perfect series and reached the halfway stage having hit 19 of her first 20 targets. That gave her a two-hit advantage over her closest challengers.

With the pressure increasing towards the finish, Dhanda maintained her composure and completed the final with 28 successful hits to secure the gold and the Asian record.

The achievement also has a personal connection to her introduction to shooting. Dhanda was inspired to take up the sport after watching her cousin Lakshay Sheoran win a silver medal in men's trap at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.

Seven years later, Dhanda has created her own place in Asian Games history.

Her victory is particularly significant for Indian shooting, a discipline in which the country has traditionally enjoyed greater success in rifle and pistol events than in shotgun competitions. Dhanda's gold gives women's trap shooting a landmark moment on the Asian stage.

The gold came after Dhanda had already contributed to India's medal tally earlier in the Games, joining Aashima Ahlawat and Manisha Keer to win silver in the women's trap team event.

But in the individual final, Dhanda stood alone.

After years of competing for places on international podiums, the shooter from Jind, Haryana, delivered a performance that made her the target everyone else was trying to catch.