Shymkent (Kazakhstan): National Games champion Neeru Dhanda had an outstanding performance, securing the gold medal in the women’s trap event at the Asian Shooting Championship, while her fellow countrywomen Aashima Ahlawat and Bhowneesh Mendiratta took home bronze and silver, respectively. Neeru scored 43 in the final, surpassing Qatar’s Bassil Ray who scored 37, and Aashima who scored 29. In the men’s trap final, Bhowneesh achieved a score of 45 to win silver, with Chinese shooters Ying Qi and Pengyu Chen winning gold and bronze with scores of 47 and 35, respectively. Bhowneesh had qualified in fourth place, while Kynan Chenai ranked 15th, and Lakshay finished in 41st position.
Earlier, double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker placed fourth in the women’s 25m pistol event, with her compatriot Esha Singh finishing sixth with 18 points. Bhaker scored 25, falling short of Vietnam’s bronze medallist Thu Vinh Trinh who scored 29. Neeru, Aashima, and Preeti Rajak also excelled as a team, winning gold in the women’s trap with a combined score of 319, ahead of China and Kuwait. Neeru and Aashima entered the final in fifth and sixth place, respectively, 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, is the cousin of Indian trap shooter Lakshay Sheoran and took up the sport after watching him compete.
In the junior category, Indian shooters dominated the 25m pistol women’s final, with Payal Khatri winning gold with 36 points, Naamya Kapoor earning silver with 30, and Tejaswani securing bronze with 27.