Chandigarh: Naib Subedar Neeru Dhanda has scripted history for Indian sports by securing the country’s first-ever international gold medal in women’s shotgun trap shooting. Representing the elite Army Marksmanship Unit, the 26-year-old marksman claimed the top spot on the podium at the prestigious International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup held in Lonato, Italy. The landmark victory saw Dhanda outperform a highly competitive global field that included top-tier athletes and established world champions from the United States, France, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the host nation, Italy.
The Indian Army celebrated the monumental achievement on Sunday, praising Dhanda’s exceptional composure and skill under immense pressure. The shooter delivered a flawless performance throughout the tournament, registering an impressive score of 121 out of 125 in the qualification stages before executing a clinical performance of 27 hits out of 30 in the high-stakes final round. Military officials highlighted the victory as a defining moment for the armed forces’ sporting framework and a massive morale booster for the national contingent ahead of the upcoming Asian Games.
The global governing body for the sport, the ISSF, detailed that the gold medal match concluded in dramatic fashion, with Dhanda demonstrating remarkable consistency from the opening stages of the final. The Indian shooter established an early lead and held off aggressive, late-stage challenges from prominent European contenders, including Carole Cormenier of France and Erica Sessa of Italy. Her steady focus across the 30-target final phase sealed her maiden individual World Cup title in what analysts have described as one of the most demanding competitive lineups of the current shooting season.
Hailing from the Jind district of Haryana, Dhanda originally joined the Indian Army’s Corps of Military Police following the historic opening of rank-and-file military roles to female candidates. She advanced her athletic skills under the Indian Army’s Mission Olympics Wing at the Infantry School in Mhow, a premier facility renowned for preparing military personnel, para-athletes, and selected civilians for elite international tournaments. The latest victory builds upon her rapidly rising international profile, following her previous gold medal triumph in trap shooting at the Asian Shooting Championship in 2025.
