Inspired by cousin, Army shooter Neeru wins historic Asian Games gold
It was not one of the celebrated rifle or pistol events, but shotgun gave India its first individual gold medal at the Asian Games, ending an agonising 10-day wait. Army shooter Neeru Dhanda, 26, won gold in the women’s trap event, setting a new Asian record in the process.
The wait was frustrating, but the gold arrived in style. Neeru braved the rain at the Aichi Pref. General Shooting Gallery on Tuesday, dominating the women’s trap final. Months after becoming the first Indian woman to win a World Cup gold in women’s individual trap, she has finished on the top step of the podium at the Asian Games.
It was also India’s first-ever individual gold in the women’s trap event at the Asian Games. Neeru’s gold came after she had earlier led the Indian women’s team to silver. She topped the individual qualification with 118 out of 125, having maintained remarkable consistency across the three-day qualification process, which tests shooters over five rounds in challenging conditions.
Neeru shot 28 out of 30, bettering the previous Asian record by four shots. China’s Sun Yunong won silver with 26 out of 30, while Kuwait’s Hajar Abdulmalik took bronze with 21 out of 25.
Neeru had a healthy two-point lead going into the final series. But pressure has, so often in the past, done strange things to Indian shooters at major competitions. Neeru, however, was a picture of poise and concentration. The rain was coming down hard, but she kept her eyes on the target.
She shot a perfect series of five when it mattered most, keeping Sun Yunong at bay.
Neeru missed only two shots, one each in Series 2 and Series 5.
INSPIRATION FROM COUSIN LAKSHAY
Neeru Dhanda was not someone who had grown up dreaming of becoming a shooter. Her introduction to the sport came through her cousin Lakshay Sheoran, who won a silver medal in trap at the 2018 Asian Games. Watching him compete sparked an interest in Neeru, and what began as curiosity soon became a serious pursuit.
The family connection went beyond inspiration. Lakshay helped Neeru in her early days, with Neeru initially training alongside him and using a gun he lent her. Before that, she had practised with her family’s double-barrel gun, shooting at tin cans as her father helped her get accustomed to the recoil. She eventually joined the Madhya Pradesh Shooting Academy in 2019, beginning the journey that would take her to the international stage.
Neeru, who hails from Jind in Haryana, has since built herself into one of India’s leading trap shooters. She made her World Championship debut at Osijek in 2022 and won her maiden Asian Championship gold in 2025. In 2026, she became the first Indian woman to win an individual ISSF World Cup gold in women’s trap, at Lonato, Italy.
She is also a Naib Subedar in the Corps of Military Police and trains at the Army Marksmanship Unit in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh. Her journey has therefore taken her from Jind to Madhya Pradesh, from shooting at tin cans with a family gun to standing on the biggest podiums in the sport.
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