Neeru Dhanda Wiki, Age, Height, Net Worth 2026

Neeru Dhanda is an Indian trap shooter from Jind, Haryana, who became one of the breakout stars of the 2026 Asian Games at Aichi-Nagoya. On 29 September 2026 she won the women’s trap individual gold with an Asian-record score, becoming the first Indian woman to win an individual Asian Games gold in a shotgun event. Less than 24 hours later she teamed with Kynan Chenai to win the trap mixed team gold — another Asian record — after first helping India to silver in the women’s team event. A Naib Subedar in the Indian Army, Dhanda went from being frightened of a shotgun’s recoil as a youngster to the top of the Asian Games podium, in a year that had already seen her become the first Indian woman to win an ISSF World Cup gold in women’s trap.

Early Life and Shooting Beginnings

Neeru Dhanda was born on 25 May 2000 in Sangatpura village of Jind district, Haryana, per Wikipedia. Her first sporting love was kabaddi, but that changed in 2018 when she watched her maternal cousin Lakshay Sheoran win men’s trap silver at the Jakarta Asian Games. Inspired, she asked to try shooting — and was promptly frightened by the shotgun’s sound and recoil, a detail she later recalled after her Asian Games triumph, per trinetravibes.com.

She persisted anyway. With no range nearby, she began with a family-owned double-barrel gun, firing at tin cans and training alongside Sheoran with his equipment. The family later moved from Jind to Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh, and in 2019 she cleared the selection trials for the Madhya Pradesh State Shooting Academy in Bhopal — the step that turned raw enthusiasm into elite technique. Today she trains at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi and serves as a Naib Subedar in the Indian Army.

Career

Her first major international outing was the 2022 ISSF World Championships in Osijek, Croatia, where she finished 29th in women’s trap. The breakthrough came in 2025 at the Asian Shooting Championships in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, where she won gold in both the individual and team events.

In July 2026 she won women’s trap gold at the ISSF World Cup in Lonato, Italy — the first Indian woman ever to win an individual World Cup gold in the event — and added a mixed-team bronze at Almaty. She arrived in Japan as the reigning Asian champion and India’s leading trap shooter. Wikipedia lists British Olympic champion Peter Wilson as her coach; Dhanda herself has publicly credited former Olympian Mansher Singh for his support, telling The Tribune on 2 October 2026 about his role in her rise.

Asian Games 2026: Double Gold

It began with silver. On the morning of 29 September she combined with Aashima Ahlawat and Manisha Keer for the women’s trap team silver — India scored 328 behind China’s 346, with Dhanda the team’s top performer at 118 of 125, per DD India.

Hours later came the first gold. In the individual final, shot in relentless rain and plunging temperatures, she hit 28 of 30 targets to set a new Asian record — bettering the previous mark of 24 — and finished ahead of China’s Sun Yunong (26) and Kuwait’s Hajar Abdulmalik (21). It was India’s first individual Asian Games medal of any colour in women’s trap, the country’s first individual shooting gold of those Games, and it ended a 48-year wait for a second individual trap gold since Randhir Singh’s 1978 Bangkok title, per the Daily Pioneer. She had even set an Asian record in that morning’s qualification, missing only two of 30.

The second gold came on 30 September. Partnering veteran Kynan Chenai — a 35-year-old former Olympian — Dhanda won the trap mixed team event with 34 in the final, another Asian record that broke Qatar’s 2026 mark of 30. Having qualified only fourth with 136, the pair missed nothing after their opening series; Qatar took silver with 32 and China bronze with 23. It was India’s first-ever Asian Games mixed trap team gold, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed it as a memorable achievement for Indian shooting, per DD India.

On 4 October she was named India’s flag-bearer for the closing ceremony at Nagoya’s Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, per Rediff — capping a haul that put her alongside the Games’ other breakout Indians, including wrestling silver medallist Antim Panghal and 400m hurdles record-breaker Vithya Ramraj. India finished fourth overall with 85 medals.

Personal Life

Dhanda keeps her private life out of the spotlight; little is publicly reported beyond her family’s support and their move from Haryana to Madhya Pradesh. She is unmarried and based around training in Bhopal and New Delhi. After the Games she dedicated the golds to her family, her federation, SAI, the Bhopal academy and Olympic Gold Quest. Her stated next target: gold at Los Angeles 2028.

Neeru Dhanda Net Worth 2026

Neeru Dhanda’s net worth has not been officially disclosed, and no credible published estimate exists. Her income comes from her army salary, sporting stipends and the rewards announced for Asian Games medal winners; she has also been supported by Olympic Gold Quest, the foundation that backs India’s Olympic hopefuls. Any figure circulating online should be treated as speculation unless tied to a verifiable source.

FAQ

Who is Neeru Dhanda?

Neeru Dhanda is a 26-year-old Indian trap shooter from Jind, Haryana, and a Naib Subedar in the Indian Army. She won two golds and a silver at the 2026 Asian Games, becoming the first Indian woman to win an individual Asian Games gold in trap.

What is Neeru Dhanda’s age?

Neeru Dhanda was born on 25 May 2000, which makes her 26 years old as of October 2026.

How many medals did Neeru Dhanda win at the 2026 Asian Games?

Three: gold in women’s trap individual (28/30, Asian record), gold in the trap mixed team event with Kynan Chenai (34, Asian record), and silver in the women’s trap team event.

How did Neeru Dhanda start shooting?

Inspired by her cousin Lakshay Sheoran’s 2018 Asian Games silver, she began practising with a family-owned double-barrel gun, shooting at tin cans, before joining the Madhya Pradesh State Shooting Academy in Bhopal in 2019.

Why is Neeru Dhanda’s Asian Games gold historic?

It was India’s first individual Asian Games medal in women’s trap and ended a 48-year wait for a second individual trap gold since 1978. She set Asian records in both finals and was later named India’s flag-bearer for the closing ceremony.

What is Neeru Dhanda’s next goal?

She has said her sights are set on gold at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, per The Tribune on 2 October 2026.