Neeru Dhanda, Kynan Chenai clinch trap mixed team gold with Asian record at Asian Games | Asian Games 2026 News

Neeru Dhanda, Kynan Chenai clinch trap mixed team gold with Asian record at Asian Games
Neeru Dhanda and Kynan Chenai

Shooters are trained to follow their shots until the bullet hits the target. On Wednesday, Neeru Dhanda displayed immense follow-through technique as she clinched her second gold, this time with Kynan Chenai, at the Asian Games in Nagoya.A day earlier, Neeru had become first Indian woman to win a gold in trap event at the Asian Games and only the second Indian after Randhir Singh in 1978.The Neeru-Kynan pair shot their hearts out to win the yellow metal with a new Asian record after qualifying for the medal match at fourth position in the trap mixed pair event.The duo scored 34 in the final, four better than the previous Asian record of 30, by Qatar’s Kholoud Hassan Al-Khalaf and Mohammed Al-Rumaihi in Jan this year.The medal will boost the confidence of the shotgun shooters, as for the first time, it is the shotgun that has won more gold medals than the rifle-pistol shooters.India’s trap coach Peter Wilson told TOI that the Indians shot to his satisfaction. The 2012 London gold medallist said that confidence should help them in the future as they head to the World Championships in Nov. “The World Championships will offer the ticket to the Los Angeles Olympics, so it will be like aiming for the ‘golden ticket’ to the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” he laughed.“They complemented each other well. Kynan watched Neeru’s back and Neeru came back stronger when it was needed. It was a brilliant day for Indian shooting, and the result is something that we had expected for,” Wilson said.Talking about Neeru, the coach said the Haryana shooter was determined and a good student of the game. “She has a very positive attitude and is a very good learner. She has shot the three medals only with a training of two days,” he said.The Indian combination scored a total of 136 in the qualification round. Of the two, Kynan scored 73, while Neeru contributed with 63 as they finished fourth in the qualification round.In the final too, Kynan shot 19 out of 20 targets successfully, while Neeru scored 15.Silver was won by Qatari pair of Mohammed Al-Rumaishi and Bassil Ray with a score of 32. China’s Ying Qi and Yunong Sun scored 23 to take the bronze.

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