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Neeru Dhanda Wins Historic Asian Games Trap Gold
Neeru Dhanda is an Indian sport shooter who competes in trap shooting.
She won a gold medal at the Asian Games.
This was especially difficult because she had been very sick just 10 days earlier.
She stayed in hospital for three days and could not train for several weeks.
Heavy rain and cold weather made the final harder.
Even so, she focused on one target at a time.
She hit 28 of 30 targets and set an Asian Games record.
Her win made her the first Indian woman to win an individual trap gold at the Games.
India will now prepare for the World Championships, where it hopes to earn quota places.
Neeru Dhanda became the first Indian woman to win an individual trap gold medal at the Asian Games.
She won after being hospitalised for three days with a severe infection suspected to be H1N1.
Dhanda had not trained for three-and-a-half weeks and reportedly went five days without food.
She hit 28 of 30 targets in a rain-hit final in Toyota, setting an Asian Games record.
Her victory ended India’s 48-year wait for an Asian Games trap gold and came ahead of the World Championships.
- Who
- Indian trap shooter Neeru Dhanda, coached by Peter Wilson and supported by Mansher Singh.
- What
- Dhanda won the women’s trap gold medal, becoming the first Indian woman to win an individual trap title at the Asian Games.
- Where
- The final took place in Toyota.
- When
- She won on Tuesday, 10 days after her hospitalisation; the World Championships are scheduled for the following month.
- Why
- She maintained focus and worked through illness, a long training break, rain, cold conditions and pressure during the final.
Key facts
- Medal
- Gold in the women’s trap event
- Final score
- 28 of 30 targets
- Record
- Asian Games record
- Historic achievement
- First Indian woman to win an individual trap gold at the Asian Games
- Hospitalisation
- Three days, about 10 days before the competition
- Training setback
- No training for three-and-a-half weeks
- Conditions
- Persistent rain and falling temperatures during the final
- Next event
- World Championships in about one month, where India is seeking quota places
Quotes
Peter Wilson
British shooting coach who worked with Neeru Dhanda and the Indian team
“We've worked a lot on staying in the present, staying in the moment. The brain, of course, likes to trick you into the future and drag you back. It's about working one target at a time and giving you a full and utter commitment to each target, ignoring all the outside influences.”
rediff.com
“We thought she might have H1N1. She was really, really sick. It was touch and go whether she'd come. She did no training. She's not trained for three and a half weeks. She's shot for two days here in three and a half weeks.”
rediff.com
Neeru Dhanda
Indian trap shooter and Asian Games gold medalist
“Every day, he kept me motivated, saying, ‘Nothing happens. Even if you don’t train for four or five days, it doesn’t make any difference. You are super, and you will remain a star,’”
telegraphindia.com
“The rain was falling on the hands. You feel it, and the mind strays a bit from the process.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
How Neeru Dhanda Overcame Illness For Asian Games Gold
Neeru Dhanda's Coach Peter Wilson Destroys Umbrella In Celebration After Indian Shooter's Gold Medal Winning Shot At Asian Games 2026 | VIDEO
Ten days after hospitalisation, Neeru Dhanda shoots her way to Asian Games gold, ends India’s 48-year drought
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