Neeru Dhanda Wins Historic Asian Games Trap Gold After Hospitalisation
Indian shooter Neeru Dhanda claimed a historic individual gold medal in the women's trap event at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya on Tuesday, overcoming a severe health setback that required hospitalisation just ten days before the competition. The 26-year-old athlete hit 28 of 30 targets in the final under rainy conditions, establishing a new Asian Games record and defeating China's Sun Yunong, who scored 26. Kuwait's Hajar Abdulmalik secured the bronze medal with 21.
According to The Times of India, inspired by cousin Lakshay Sheoran's 2018 Asian Games silver, Dhanda began with borrowed equipment before shifting to the MP Shooting Academy in Bhopal and joining the Indian Army as Naib Subedar. According to The Indian Express, for Chinese Shooting Team, China has maintained near-total dominance in Asian Games women's trap since 1990, winning every individual title except 2010 prior to Dhanda's 2026 triumph.
The women's trap event was first contested at the Beijing Asian Games in 1990. During the 2026 competition, China secured the team gold medal with a score of 346, featuring a trio that included 2014 women's trap champion Zhu Jingyu, while Kuwait claimed the bronze medal with 325.
The triumph ended a 48-year drought for India in individual trap shooting at the continental games. Randhir Singh had previously captured the men's individual trap title at the 1968 Bangkok Asian Games, but no Indian woman had ever stood atop the individual trap podium prior to Dhanda's victory.
Hospitalisation Threatens Campaign
Dhanda's victory followed a critical medical scare in the buildup to the international tournament. According to Indian trap coach Peter Wilson, Dhanda spent three days hospitalised in Delhi just ten days before her scheduled departure for Japan. She arrived late alongside physiotherapist Ashwini and entered the shooting range with almost no pre-competition practice.
Dhanda serves as a Naib Subedar in the Corps of Military Police, receives backing from the Indian Army, trains at the Army Marksmanship Unit in Mhow, and participates in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme's Development Group. Prior to the competition, she contracted an infection during the national camp that interrupted her training for over three and a half weeks.
Despite the disrupted training schedule, Dhanda topped the qualification round alongside Qatar's Ray Bassil by hitting 118 out of 125 targets. That qualification performance also established a new Games record, carrying her smoothly into the eight-shooter final where she secured her historic gold.
Double Podium Success in Team and Individual Events
The individual gold came only hours after Dhanda contributed to India's silver-medal finish in the women's trap team event alongside teammates Aashima Ahlawat and Manisha Keer. The trio compiled a combined score of 328 across three days of the 125-shot qualification phase, finishing behind China's gold-winning aggregate of 346 while holding off Kuwait, which claimed bronze with 325.
Dhanda's outstanding form in Aichi-Nagoya builds upon a breakthrough 2026 athletic season. In July, she became the first Indian woman to win an individual ISSF World Cup gold in women's trap at Lonato, Italy, following her title victory at the 2025 Asian Shooting Championships.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Dhanda and the women's trap squad on X, highlighting the shooter's exceptional accuracy and composure under pressure.
Track and Field Highlights on Final Day
Tuesday also brought success for India on the athletics track at Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, where the women's 4x400m relay team clinched the country's first track-and-field gold of the 2026 Games. The quartet of Kiran Pahal, Machettira Poovamma, Prachi Choudhary and Vithya Ramraj clocked 3:29.69 to finish ahead of Bahrain and China.
The relay victory completed a three-medal haul for Vithya Ramraj, who previously secured silver in the mixed 4x400m relay and bronze in the 400m hurdles while breaking PT Usha's long-standing national record. Meanwhile, runner Gulveer Singh collected his third medal of the Games by taking bronze in the men's 5000m final with a time of 13:32.75.