India secured gold in the trap mixed team event as Neeru Dhanda and Kynan Chenai got the better of top-seeded Qatar in a tense summit clash on Wednesday, adding another medal to what has been a landmark Asian Games for Indian shooting.
Neeru and Kynan had squeezed into the four-team final in fourth place, posting 136 in qualification behind China, Qatar, and Iran. It was far from the dominant form Neeru had shown in her individual events on Tuesday, but the pair’s composure under pressure in the knockout stages more than made up for a modest start.
The medal rounds began with Iran eliminated first in fourth, before China fell in the next stage to settle for bronze, setting up a straight shootout between India and Qatar for the top prize.
In tricky conditions that had troubled several shooters through the day, the Indian pair held their nerve when it mattered most, matching Qatar shot for shot before pulling clear to secure an Asian Games record in the process.
It was a fitting end to a final that had begun with India as the lowest-seeded of the four teams, and one that will rank among the more memorable turnarounds of India’s campaign at these Games.
Remarkable Run For Neeru
The gold caps a remarkable couple of days for Neeru, marking her third medal of these Games after her historic individual women’s trap gold and a team silver alongside Aashima Ahlawat and Manisha Keer.
Having already become the first Indian woman to win an individual Asian Games gold in trap, she now leaves Aichi-Nagoya with a full set of medals across the individual, team, and mixed team formats – a rare feat in the discipline.
For Kynan Chenai, it adds an Asian Games mixed team gold to two medals at the 2022 Asian Games – men’s team trap gold and men’s individual trap bronze – further establishing him as one of the most consistent performers in Indian trap shooting across multiple editions of the Games.
NRAI Officials Hails Neeru Dhanda
NRAI President Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo called Neeru’s achievement phenomenal.
“This has been an extraordinary Asian Games for our trap shooters, and today’s gold is the perfect finish. For Neeru to complete a treble of medals in the space of a few days – individual gold, team silver, and now mixed team gold – is a phenomenal achievement. To do it by beating a strong Qatari pair after starting fourth in qualification shows real character. Huge credit to Kynan as well, who continues to deliver for India across formats and editions of the Games,” he said.
Meanwhile, NRAI secretary General Pawan Kumar Singh hailed Neeru and Kynan for their composure in the final.
“What stood out today was the composure Neeru and Kynan showed after a modest qualification round. To fight back from fourth seed and beat Qatar in the gold-medal match, setting an Asian Games record along the way, speaks to the mental strength we’ve been building into our athletes. This kind of result across individual, team, and mixed team events shows the depth of our trap shooting program is finally translating into medals at the biggest stage,” he said.
