Neeru Dhanda wins Asian Games trap gold, first Indian woman to do so
Synopsis
Hospitalised just 10 days before competition, unable to eat or train, Neeru Dhanda walked onto the Nagoya range and shattered the Asian trap record with 28 out of 30 — becoming the first Indian woman to win an individual trap gold at the Asian Games. It is the kind of comeback story that transcends sport.
Key Takeaways
Neeru Dhanda won the individual trap gold at the Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya on 29 September , becoming the first Indian woman to achieve this.
She also won the team trap silver earlier the same day.
Dhanda set a new Asian record of 28 hits out of 30 , surpassing the previous record of 24 by four hits.
She had been hospitalised 10 days before the Games, going five days without food and unable to train during camp.
Her coach Mansher Singh provided daily motivational support over the phone throughout her illness.
Dhanda, whose family has limited financial means, is backed by the MP State Shooting Academy and is now targeting an Olympic medal.
Neeru Dhanda made history at the Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya on 29 September, becoming the first Indian woman to win an individual trap gold medal at the continental showpiece — a triumph made all the more remarkable by the fact that she had been hospitalised just 10 days before competition began. She also claimed a team silver earlier the same day.
A Gold Built on Grit
Shooting at the Aichi Pref. General Shooting Gallery, Dhanda and her fellow finalists battled persistent rainfall throughout the final. She remained composed under those difficult conditions, registering 28 hits out of 30 possible targets — a new Asian record that shattered the previous benchmark of 24 by four successful hits.
The achievement is doubly significant given that trap shooting is an event where India has rarely featured on the Asiad podium. Dhanda's gold changes that equation in one shot.
Hospitalised 10 Days Before the Games
What makes the medal extraordinary is the backdrop. Dhanda had fallen seriously ill during the pre-Games camp and was admitted to hospital. She went five days without eating, surviving only on water, and could not train for the entire duration of the camp.
'My condition was quite bad. I didn't train during the whole camp and stayed in my room most of the time. For 5 days, I didn't even eat anything — I was just on water,' she told reporters after her win.
It was her coach, Mansher Singh — who has trained her since the grassroots level — who kept her mentally anchored. 'Even after coming here, I was talking to him on the phone every day. So every day he kept me motivated, saying, "It's okay, even if you don't shoot for 4-5 days, it makes no difference. You are super, and you will remain a star,"' she recalled.
Family, Faith, and a Farming Background
Dhanda's rise carries an unmistakable social dimension. Her father is a farmer and her mother a homemaker, and the family's financial position is, by her own account, not comfortable. The MP State Shooting Academy has been the primary institutional support behind her career. 'MP State Shooting Academy has been supporting us. That's how I came here,' she said.
She was introduced to the sport by the parents of her cousin, 2018 Asian Games trap silver medalist Lakshay Sheoran, whose medal first made her aware that shooting was a viable pursuit. 'Before that, I didn't even know what shooting was,' she admitted.
Eyes on the Olympics
Dhanda arrives at this Asian Games gold on the back of a 2026 Lonato del Garda World Cup title, making her one of the most in-form trap shooters in Asia. But she was candid about the destination she is truly building toward.
'Both (World Cup and Asian Games gold) are equal for me. But you know which one is bigger. We are preparing for that. We will say when we win that. We are preparing for that step by step,' she said, in an unmistakable reference to the Olympics.
With a new Asian record, a historic gold, and an Olympic campaign in the works, Neeru Dhanda's story is far from its final chapter.
Point of View
Not national infrastructure. Without the MP State Shooting Academy and Mansher Singh, this story likely does not happen. Her cousin Lakshay Sheoran's 2018 silver went relatively unnoticed; the question now is whether a first-ever individual women's trap gold finally forces the NRAI and Sports Authority of India to resource the event as if it could be an Olympic lane, not an afterthought.
NationPress
29 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Neeru Dhanda and what did she win at the Asian Games 2026?
Neeru Dhanda is an Indian trap shooter who won the individual trap gold medal at the Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya on 29 September, becoming the first Indian woman to win this title at the continental showpiece. She also won a team trap silver on the same day.
What Asian record did Neeru Dhanda set in the final?
Dhanda set a new Asian record of 28 hits out of 30 possible targets in the final, bettering the previous record of 24 by four successful hits. She achieved this despite continuous rainfall during the final.
Why was Neeru Dhanda hospitalised before the Asian Games?
Dhanda fell seriously ill during the pre-Games training camp and was admitted to hospital approximately 10 days before the Games began. She was unable to train during the camp and went five days without eating, sustained only on water.
Who is Neeru Dhanda's coach and how did he help her?
Her coach is Mansher Singh, who has guided her since she began shooting at the grassroots level. During her illness and even after she arrived in Nagoya, Singh spoke to her by phone every day, keeping her motivated and reassuring her that missing a few days of shooting would not affect her form.
Is Neeru Dhanda targeting the Olympics?
Yes, Dhanda has indicated that the Olympics is her primary long-term goal. Having already won the 2026 Lonato del Garda World Cup and now an Asian Games gold, she described both as stepping stones, saying the team is 'preparing step by step' for the bigger prize.
