Nagoya: Neeru Dhanda on Tuesday scripted history by becoming India’s first shooter to win an Asian Games gold medal in the women’s trap individual event here, smashing the continental record in the process.
This was after she carried India to a silver medal in the women’s trap team event.
The 26-year-old from Haryana, who became the first Indian woman to win a World Cup trap gold medal in July this year, won the gold here with a score of 28, surpassing the previous Asian Record of 24.
China’s Sun Yunong took the silver with a score of 26, while Kuwait’s Abdulmalik Hajar settled for bronze after shooting 21.
No Indian woman trap shooter had won an individual medal at the Asian Games before this.
Randhir Singh had won India’s historic individual gold in the men’s individual trap event at the 1978 edition, while Ronjan Sodhi claimed the individual gold medal in the men’s double trap event at the 2010 Games.
Neeru had qualified for the eight-shooter final after finishing as joint topper along with Qatar’s Ray Bassil at 118, which is a qualification Games record.
The trio of Neeru (118), Aashima Ahlawat (106) and Manisha Keer (104) finished with a combined total of 328 to end second behind gold-medallists China (346) in the women’s event.
The Chinese team comprised Liu Shanshan, Sun Yunong and Zhu Jingyu.
Kuwait’s trio of Alhawal Shahad, Abdulmalik Hajar and Alhawal Sarah bagged the bronze medal with a combined total of 325.
In the individual list, Ahlawat and Keer finished 16th and 23rd respectively in the individual qualification, failing to make the finals.
The Indian men’s trap team, however, finished a disappointing sixth among 10 teams.
But Shapath Bharadwaj qualified for the final after finishing eighth.
The 24-year-old from Meerut prevailed in a shoot-off for the last two qualification spots, edging out Mohammed Al-Rumaihi to secure the eighth and final berth.
The trio of Bharadwaj, Kynan Chenai and Ahvar Rizvi managed a combined total of 339.
Kuwait clinched the men’s team gold with 355, while Qatar (349) and Kazakhstan (348) took the silver and bronze respectively.
The Indian men’s trap team of Chenai, Zoravar Singh Sandhu and Prithviraj Tondaiman had won gold at the previous edition in China.
This was India’s second shooting gold at the ongoing mega-event.
Suruchi Singh and Kamaljeet had earlier combined to fetch gold in the 10m air pistol mixed team competition. India have so far won five gold medals at the current edition of the Games.
