Kynan Chenai and Neeru Dhanda claimed India's first-ever Asian Games mixed team trap gold in Nagoya on 30 September 2026, defeating Qatar in the final while setting a new Asian record. The victory also secured India a crucial quota place for the mixed-team trap event at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, where the format makes its Olympic debut.

From Fourth to First

The Indian pair entered the medal round after finishing fourth in qualification, making their comeback to the top of the podium all the more striking. Kynan attributed the turnaround not to tactical adjustments but to a deliberate decision to let each shooter stay in their own zone. 'Neeru has her own processes, I have mine. We have our own way of getting ready for the round. We have our own way of shooting. Very individual. Because at the end of the day, this is an individual sport. So, we are very separate individuals. When we come as a team, we basically feed off each other's energy to fight, and we never give up,' he said.

Silence as Strategy in the Final

Kynan's approach in the gold-medal contest was notably restrained. Rather than offering constant encouragement, he allowed both shooters to remain locked in their individual routines. 'In the final, basically, I didn't want to speak too much because we were so focused on each other, what we were doing for ourselves, our process, our targets. It was very, very important to go through the process and try to break each target individually. So, I didn't want to really disturb her. After the 10th target, when we had a medal confirmed, then I gave her a bit of a fist bump, and then we both relaxed a bit and started hitting more targets, which allowed us to overtake the other teams, which was really nice,' he added.

A Personal Redemption for Kynan

The mixed team event — making its Asian Games debut in Nagoya — offered Kynan a fresh start after a difficult individual competition earlier in the Games. 'Personally, I had a bad individual competition. And I had a fresh start today. So, I really put all my effort into trying to hit all the targets I could. And it's always nice when you come out on top,' said the two-time Asian Games gold medallist. The win adds to his existing haul of men's team gold and individual bronze from the 2022 Asian Games.

Neeru's Remarkable Back-to-Back

Neeru had won the individual trap gold less than 24 hours before the mixed team final, competing through difficult weather conditions that left her visibly fatigued. Kynan described her performance as particularly impressive. 'After Neeru shot the final yesterday, in the horrible weather conditions. She was really tired today. And I was really impressed with the way she shot... She was missing targets. And she wasn't used to missing targets. Because in the last three days of the tournament, she didn't miss very many. So, she was very mentally calm. And I was very impressed with how she handled the whole situation,' he stated.

Credit to Coach Peter Wilson and NRAI

Kynan was emphatic in crediting the support structure behind India's trap shooting programme. He praised coach Peter Wilson for his enthusiasm and technical input, and the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) for logistics and welfare support including physiotherapists and psychologists. 'He spends more time with us than our families do. So, he has done a brilliant job with the team,' Kynan said of Wilson. On NRAI, he added: 'What you see here in front of you today is because of them. The work they do behind the scenes is why we can travel.' The gold also means India now holds Asian records in both men's team trap (set at the previous edition) and the new mixed team format.

Starting fourth and finishing first, Kynan and Neeru have written India's name into the record books on the very first occasion the mixed team trap event was contested at the Asian Games — with an eye already on Los Angeles 2028.