Neeru-Kynan win India’s first mixed trap gold

AICHI-NAGOYA Neeru Dhanda and Kynan Chenai won India’s first-ever gold medal in the Asian Games mixed trap team event on Wednesday, setting a new Games record in the process. The Indian pair scored 34 points, surpassing the previous Asian Games record of 30 set by Qatar earlier this year. Qatar took silver with 32 points, while China claimed bronze with 23. The gold was India’s ninth at the 2026 Asian Games and its third of the day. It was also India’s 56th medal at the Games, taking the tally to nine gold, 21 silver and 26 bronze medals. The result marked India’s 15th shooting medal at the Games, with the contingent having collected three gold, eight silver and four bronze medals. For Neeru, the mixed team title came a day after she won the women’s individual trap gold. She topped the eight-shooter final with 26 points despite rainy conditions, while China’s Sun Yunong and Kuwait’s Hajar Abdulmalik scored 21 each. Neeru’s individual victory made her the first Indian woman to win an individual Asian Games gold in trap shooting. She had also set an Asian record in qualification on her Games debut, missing only two shots from 30 to finish with 28. On Tuesday, she won silver with Aashima Ahlawat and Manisha Keer in the women’s trap team event, where India scored 328 points. Elsewhere, India’s women’s compound archery team of Jyothi Vennam, Chikitha Taniparthi and Prithika Pradeep defeated China 238-234 for gold. Chikitha and Sahil Jadhav reached the compound mixed team final after a 156-155 semifinal win over Thailand, booking an Olympic spot for Los Angeles 2028. Boxer Priya Ghanghas won bronze after losing her 60kg semifinal to China’s Yang Chengyu.