Asian Games 2026: Neeru Dhanda Wins Historic Trap Gold, India Eye More Medals

India enjoyed one of its best days yet at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi, Japan, headlined by a historic gold in shooting and continued success across cricket and kabaddi.

Neeru Dhanda’s historic trap gold

Neeru Dhanda became the first Indian woman to win an Asian Games gold medal in any shotgun event, hitting 28 of 30 targets in the women’s trap final at the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery. Her score bettered the previous Asian Games record of 24, finishing two clear of China’s Sun Yunong. It capped a big day for Dhanda, who earlier helped India win silver in the team trap event. It was India’s second shooting gold of these Games, after Suruchi Singh and Kamaljeet Singh’s win in the 10m air pistol mixed team event.

Neeru Dhanda’s path to the podium has been anything but easy. Born on 25 May 2000 to a farming family in Jind, Haryana, she took up trap shooting after watching her cousin Lakshay Sheoran win at a major competition, starting out with a borrowed gun. She had barely six months of shooting experience when she moved to Bhopal in 2019, where free guns and ammunition from the Madhya Pradesh State Shooting Academy made the expensive sport possible for a family of modest means; she now serves as a Naib Subedar in the Indian Army. Her gold is made more remarkable by the fact that she was hospitalised for health issues just ten days before the Asian Games began, winning the title within days of being discharged.

Kabaddi and cricket updates

India’s men’s kabaddi team beat Iran in the final to win gold for a ninth time at the Asian Games. In cricket, the Indian men’s team reached the semi-finals after their rain-affected quarter-final against Afghanistan was abandoned; they face Sri Lanka on 1 October in Nisshin. The Indian women’s cricket team has already successfully defended its Asian Games title, beating Bangladesh in the semi-final and Sri Lanka in the final.

Sources: Olympics.com, ESPNcricinfo.