Neeru Dhanda wins India’s first women’s trap gold, leads team to silver

• Neeru Dhanda becomes the first Indian woman to win an individual Asian Games trap gold, setting a new Games record with 28 points

• Dhanda, Aashima Ahlawat and Manisha Keer win silver in the women’s trap team event, finishing behind China

• Dhanda’s gold is India’s second shooting gold at the ongoing Asian Games, taking the country’s overall tally to five golds

Neeru Dhanda scripted history on Tuesday by becoming the first Indian woman shooter to win an individual Asian Games gold in the women’s trap event, while also helping India secure silver in the team competition.

The 26-year-old Haryana shooter produced a record-breaking performance in the final, scoring 28 to surpass the previous Asian Games record of 24. China’s Sun Yunong won silver with 26, while Kuwait’s Abdulmalik Hajar took bronze with 21.

Dhanda’s gold is also India’s first individual Asian Games medal in women’s trap. Randhir Singh had won India’s first individual trap gold in the men’s event at the 1978 Asian Games, while Ronjan Sodhi claimed gold in men’s double trap at the 2010 Games.

The historic performance comes just months after Dhanda became the first Indian woman to win a World Cup gold in trap, in July.

Dhanda had qualified for the eight-shooter final as a joint leader alongside Qatar’s Ray Bassil, with 118 points — a Games qualification record.

Earlier, Dhanda, Aashima Ahlawat and Manisha Keer combined for 328 to win silver in the women’s trap team event. China topped the competition with 346, while Kuwait took bronze with 325.

Dhanda finished joint top in the individual qualification, while Ahlawat and Keer finished 16th and 23rd respectively and failed to reach the final.

In the men’s trap, India finished sixth among 10 teams. Shapath Bharadwaj, however, qualified for the individual final after securing the eighth and final spot through a shoot-off.

Bharadwaj, Kynan Chenai and Ahvar Rizvi combined for 339 in the team event. Kuwait won gold with 355, followed by Qatar with 349 and Kazakhstan with 348.

India’s men’s trap team had won gold at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou.

Dhanda’s gold was India’s second shooting gold at the ongoing Games. Suruchi Singh and Kamaljeet had earlier won the 10m air pistol mixed team gold.

India have now won five gold medals at the ongoing Asian Games.

With PTI inputs