Mandaviya hails India's Silver in Women's Trap Team at Asian Games 2026
Synopsis
Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya congratulated Manisha Keer and Asian Games debutants Neeru and Aashima Ahlawat on winning silver in the Women's Trap Team event at Asian Games 2026, highlighting India's continued strength in shooting.
Key Takeaways
India won the Silver Medal in the Women's Trap Team event at the Asian Games 2026 .
Manisha Keer was part of the winning trio, bringing prior international experience to the squad.
Neeru and Aashima Ahlawat were both Asian Games debutants, making the medal particularly significant.
Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya personally congratulated the trio on 29 September 2026 via X.
Shooting remains one of India's strongest disciplines at successive Asian Games editions, including multiple medals at the 2022 Hangzhou Games .
Three Indian women walked off the trap-shooting range at the Asian Games 2026 with silver medals around their necks — and Union Labour and Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya was quick to celebrate the moment on Tuesday, 29 September 2026. Veteran Manisha Keer anchored the squad alongside debutants Neeru and Aashima Ahlawat as the trio secured second place in the Women's Trap Team event.
Mandaviya posted his congratulations on X, writing: 'Heartiest congratulations to Manisha Keer, Asian Games debutants Neeru and Aashima Ahlawat on securing the Silver Medal in the Women's Trap Team event at the Asian Games 2026. #Cheer4Bharat'. The hashtag — a standing rallying call for India's sporting contingent — underscored the ministerial weight placed on the achievement.
Debutants Neeru and Aashima step onto the Asian stage
For Neeru and Aashima Ahlawat, this was their first Asian Games appearance, and they delivered immediately. Debuting at a continental multi-sport event is daunting enough; finishing with a medal is something else entirely. The pair's performance signals a deepening bench in Indian trap shooting, a discipline that demands ice-cold composure across extended qualifying rounds and a ruthless final.
Manisha Keer's experience steadies the lineup
Manisha Keer brought prior international competition experience to the squad, giving the team a settled, match-hardened core. In team trap events, the combination of a seasoned lead shooter and ambitious newcomers can be decisive — the veteran absorbs pressure so the debutants can play freely. That blend clearly worked here.
Shooting's place at the heart of India's Asian Games ambitions
Shooting has been one of India's most reliable medal-producing disciplines at successive Asian Games editions, with the country registering multiple podium finishes — including golds — at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. The Asian Games 2026 silver in Women's Trap Team adds to that lineage and keeps the Indian contingent's medal tally ticking.
With shooting results still unfolding and other disciplines in play, India's total haul at these Games is still being written. But for Manisha Keer, Neeru, and Aashima Ahlawat, their names are already on the board — and for two of them, it is a debut they will never forget.
Point of View
Whose tenure spans both the labour and sports portfolios, high-visibility celebrations of women athletes align with a wider political messaging goal around female empowerment in sport.
NationPress
29 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won silver in Women's Trap Team at Asian Games 2026?
India's trio of Manisha Keer, Neeru, and Aashima Ahlawat won the silver medal in the Women's Trap Team event at the Asian Games 2026.
Who are Neeru and Aashima Ahlawat?
Neeru and Aashima Ahlawat are Indian trap shooters who made their Asian Games debuts at the 2026 edition, winning silver in the Women's Trap Team event.
What did Mansukh Mandaviya say about the Asian Games 2026 silver medal?
Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya posted 'Heartiest congratulations' to the three shooters on X, using the hashtag #Cheer4Bharat to mark India's Women's Trap Team silver.
How has India performed in shooting at previous Asian Games?
India has consistently been among the stronger nations in shooting at Asian Games, winning multiple medals including gold medals at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.
What is the Women's Trap Team event in shooting?
The Women's Trap Team event is a shooting discipline where teams of shooters attempt to hit clay targets launched from a trap machine, with combined team scores determining the medal outcome.
