Asian Games 2026: India bag silver in women's trap team event; Neeru Dhanda qualifies for individual final
Neeru Dhanda led Indian shooters with 118.
Indian women’s trap shooters won silver at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on Tuesday, September 29. Neeru Dhanda, Aashima Ahlawat and Manisha Keer shot a combined 328 at the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery.
Only China scored higher, taking gold with 346. Kuwait won bronze with 325, just three points behind India, so the fight for silver was close.
Each shooter faced 125 targets over five rounds, spread across three days of qualification. A team’s score is the sum of its three shooters’ totals. Neeru carried the load. Her five rounds produced scores of 24, 24, 24, 23 and 23, a total of 118. She never fell below 23 hits in a round.
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Aashima scored 106 with rounds of 20, 22, 23, 19 and 22. Manisha scored 104 with rounds of 19, 21, 22, 22 and 20. Neeru scored 12 more than Aashima and 14 more than Manisha.
The medal is not the end of Neeru’s day
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Neeru finished level at the top of the individual qualification standings with Ray Bassil of Qatar, with both shooters scoring 118, to book her place in the individual final. Aashima finished 16th and Manisha 23rd among the 27 competitors, with only the top eight advancing to the final.
This is India’s second medal in the women’s trap team event, after silver at Hangzhou in 2022, won by Manisha Keer, Rajeshwari Kumari and Preeti Rajak. That makes Manisha a medallist in both editions.
It is also India’s 13th shooting medal in Japan, and one of the 13 is gold, won by Kamaljeet and Suruchi Singh in the mixed 10m air pistol.
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Shooting’s silver run continues
A day earlier, Esha Singh took silver in the women’s 25m pistol. She and China’s Xiao Jiaruixuan finished level on 38 hits after 50 shots, matching the Asian Games record. Both hit four of five in the first shoot-off, and Xiao won the second 3-2.
It was Esha’s second straight silver in this event, after finishing second at Hangzhou 2022, where she also won team gold with Manu Bhaker and Rhythm Sangwan.
Who won silver for India in the women’s trap team event at the Asian Games 2026?
Neeru Dhanda, Aashima Ahlawat and Manisha Keer won silver on Tuesday, September 29, at the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery. Their combined score was 328. China took gold with 346, and Kuwait took bronze with 325.
How did each Indian shooter score in the women’s trap team event?
Neeru Dhanda scored 118 out of 125 (24, 24, 24, 23, 23). Aashima Ahlawat scored 106 (20, 22, 23, 19, 22) and Manisha Keer scored 104 (19, 21, 22, 22, 20). Aashima finished 16th and Manisha 23rd in a field of 27. Only the top eight reached the individual final, so Neeru was the only Indian woman in it.
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