President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday congratulated shooter Neeru Dhanda on her historic women’s trap individual gold at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, describing the achievement and her Asian record as a moment of immense national pride.
Neeru became the first Indian woman to win an individual trap gold at the Asian Games after scoring 28 in the final at the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery. Her victory also marked India’s first individual trap medal at the continental event.
“It is a moment of immense pride to see the Tiranga fly high in Aichi-Nagoya as Neeru Dhanda wins India’s first individual Gold Medal at the Asian Games 2026. My heartiest congratulations to you on your historic victory in the Women’s Trap individual event and on setting a new Asian record. May this golden moment inspire many more young Indians to take up shooting and strive for excellence,” the President wrote on X.
The gold capped a successful day for Neeru, who had earlier teamed up with Aashima Ahlawat and Manisha Keer to win silver in the women’s trap team event. The Indian trio finished with a combined score of 328.
Neeru carried her strong qualification form into the individual final after topping the preliminary round with 118. She recovered from an early setback in the medal round, moving from third place after her first miss to the top with a series of flawless efforts.
The Haryana shooter recorded 19 successful hits from her opening 20 attempts and maintained her lead through the closing stages. She finished three points ahead of China’s Sun Yunong, who won silver with 26, while Kuwait’s Hajar Abdulmalik took bronze with 21.
The achievement adds another milestone to Neeru’s breakthrough year. Earlier in 2026, she became the first Indian woman to win an individual ISSF World Cup gold in women’s trap at the Shotgun World Cup in Lonato, Italy. She also won bronze in the trap mixed team event at the ISSF World Cup in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Neeru’s Asian Games triumph gave India its second shooting gold of the Aichi-Nagoya edition and fifth gold medal overall.
(IANS Inputs)
