Neeru Dhanda scripted history at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 on Tuesday, winning the gold medal in the Women’s Trap Individual event and giving India its first individual gold medal of the Games.
The Indian shooter produced a record-breaking performance in the final, hitting 28 targets to set a new Asian record and finish at the top of the podium on her Asian Games debut.
China’s Sun Yunong won the silver medal, while Kuwait’s Hajar Abdulmalik took bronze.
Dhanda’s victory is a landmark moment for Indian shooting. She became the first Indian woman to win an Asian Games gold medal in Women’s Trap Individual, while also securing India’s first-ever medal in the women’s trap event at the Asian Games.
Neeru Dhanda Breaks Asian Record
Dhanda’s winning score of 28 hits surpassed the previous Asian record of 24, setting a new continental benchmark in Women’s Trap.
The world record currently stands at 30 hits, held by Australia’s Penny Smith, who achieved the mark at the ISSF World Cup in Almaty earlier in 2026 with a perfect 30/30 performance.
While Dhanda fell two hits short of the world record, her 28-hit performance established a new Asian record and secured one of the most significant individual victories of India’s campaign in Aichi-Nagoya.
First Individual Gold for India at Aichi-Nagoya
India had already won gold medals in team and mixed-team events at the 2026 Asian Games, but Dhanda’s victory marked the country’s first individual gold medal of the Games.
Her gold also came after India’s shooting contingent had endured a challenging start to the competition before Suruchi Singh and Kamaljeet ended the wait for a shooting gold in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event on September 25.
Dhanda has now added another shooting gold to India’s tally, making it the second shooting gold for India at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
First-Ever Asian Games Medal for India in Women’s Trap
Dhanda’s achievement is particularly significant because India had never previously won a medal in the Women’s Trap Individual event at the Asian Games.
The 2026 edition therefore produced a first on multiple fronts: Dhanda became the first Indian woman to win a Women’s Trap gold, the first Indian to win a medal in the event, and the first to stand on top of the podium in the discipline at the Asian Games.
Her achievement comes just months after another historic milestone in her career. In July, Dhanda became the first Indian woman to win an ISSF World Cup gold in Women’s Trap, triumphing at the World Cup in Lonato, Italy.
Randhir Singh’s 1978 Gold and India’s Trap History
Dhanda’s victory also brings India’s long history in Asian Games trap shooting into focus.
Before Dhanda, Randhir Singh was the only Indian associated with an Asian Games Trap gold. Singh won the men’s individual Trap gold at the 1978 Asian Games in Bangkok, becoming India’s first Asian Games shooting gold medallist.
Nearly five decades later, Dhanda has added another historic chapter to India’s Trap shooting story — this time becoming the first Indian woman to win an Asian Games Trap gold.
Fourth Indian Woman to Win Individual Shooting Gold
Dhanda has also joined an elite group of Indian women who have won individual shooting gold at the Asian Games.
The previous Indian women to achieve the feat were:
- Rahi Sarnobat – Women’s 25m Pistol, 2018 Asian Games
- Sift Kaur Samra – Women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions, 2023 Asian Games
- Palak Gulia – Women’s 10m Air Pistol, 2023 Asian Games
Dhanda is therefore the fourth Indian woman to win an individual shooting gold medal at the Asian Games. Sift Kaur Samra’s 2023 victory also came with a world-record score in the event, while Palak Gulia defeated fellow Indian Esha Singh to win the 10m Air Pistol title.
From Team Silver to Individual Gold
Dhanda had already stood on the podium earlier in the Games.
She was part of the Indian women’s Trap team that won the silver medal, alongside Manisha Keer and Aashima, giving India another medal in the discipline before her historic individual triumph.
She has now upgraded that achievement from a team podium finish to an individual Asian Games title.
A Historic Asian Games Debut
What makes Dhanda’s achievement even more remarkable is that she accomplished it on her Asian Games debut.
From winning India’s first-ever ISSF World Cup gold in Women’s Trap earlier this year to becoming the first Indian woman to win Asian Games gold in the event, Dhanda’s 2026 season has now produced two landmark moments for Indian shooting.
Her 28-hit final, the new Asian record, and the historic Women’s Trap gold have ensured that Neeru Dhanda’s name will be permanently etched in the history of Indian shooting.
Neeru Dhanda has not just won gold in Nagoya. She has broken a continental record and opened a new chapter for Indian women’s Trap shooting at the Asian Games.
