Neeru Dhanda Wins Gold in Women's Trap at Asian Shooting

Shymkent, Kazakhstan, Aug 25 (PTI) – National Games champion Neeru Dhanda achieved a significant milestone by winning the women's trap gold medal at the Asian Shooting Championship on Monday, while fellow Indian shooter Aashima Ahlawat secured the bronze.

Neeru delivered an impressive performance, shooting 43 in the final, outpacing Qatar's Bassil Ray, who scored 37, and Aashima, who scored 29.

Earlier, double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker narrowly missed out on a podium finish, placing fourth in the women's 25m pistol competition. However, India's junior shooters excelled, sweeping the podium at the continental championship.

The trio of Neeru, Aashima, and Preeti Rajak clinched the team gold in women's trap, achieving a combined score of 319, surpassing teams from China and Kuwait. Neeru and Aashima made it to the six-women final by securing fifth and sixth positions following a shoot-off.

Neeru, who recently reached her first ISSF World Cup final and finished fourth at the Shotgun World Cup in Lonato, Italy, was inspired to take up shooting by her cousin, Indian trap shooter Lakshay Sheoran.

Notable Junior Achievements

Esha Singh, Bhaker's compatriot, finished sixth in the eight-women final with a score of 18. Bhaker scored 25, falling short of Vietnam's Thu Vinh Trinh, who won bronze with a 29.

India's junior shooters demonstrated remarkable prowess in the 25m pistol women junior final. Payal Khatri claimed gold with a score of 36, Naamya Kapoor took silver with 30, and Tejaswani secured bronze with 27. The team also won silver with an aggregate score of 1700, trailing behind Korea and ahead of Kazakhstan.

Naamya and Tejaswani placed first and second in the qualifications, with Payal entering the junior final in sixth.

Earlier, Chinese shooters Yueyue Zhang and Jiaruixuan Xiao clinched the senior women's gold and silver medals, with Zhang prevailing 4-3 in the shoot-off after they were tied at 39.

The Indian team, comprising Bhaker, Esha, and Simranpreet Kaur Brar, captured the team bronze with an overall score of 1749, behind China and South Korea.

Esha topped the 25m pistol qualifications, finishing ahead of Bhaker and Chinese medallists, Xiao and Zhang. Bhaker, who secured dual bronze medals earlier in the tournament's 10m air pistol individual and team events, finished fourth in the precision stage of the women's 25m pistol qualifications, while Esha was second.

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