India earned another shooting gold at the Asian Games 2026 as Neeru Dhanda and Kynan Chenai won the mixed team trap title after defeating top seed Qatar in a tense gold-medal battle. It was a great win in the last few days for Dhanda who won a hat-trick of medals in individual, team and mixed team events.
The Indian pair entered the medal rounds after finishing fourth in qualification with a combined score of 136. China, Qatar and Iran were ahead of India in qualification and thus Dhanda and Chenai had a tough road to the gold medal. But the Indian shooters responded well to the pressure and gave a good performance in the final rounds.
The result also added another major medal to India's shooting campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Dhanda's performance has been one of the highlights of India's trap shooting campaign, with the shooter now having medals in three different formats.
India Fight Back From Fourth Place
India's qualification performance had left Dhanda and Chenai as the lowest-seeded team among the four finalists. At 136 in qualification, the pair placed fourth behind China, Qatar and Iran. They continued to be in the medal race as they were the fourth finalists.
The knockout stages were a different way of playing out. Iran was eliminated first and finished fourth, then China was eliminated in the next stage. China got the bronze medal and India and Qatar fought for gold.
The Indian pair kept their concentration in the final, as Qatar’s performance had been similar to the Indian pair, and pulled ahead. The victory came in tough conditions that had impacted a large number of the shooters in the competition.
The fact that India was able to recover from fourth place in qualification made this a remarkable achievement. Dhanda and Chenai maintained their nerve in the final stages and managed to get the gold medal while also setting an Asian Games record, according to the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).
Neeru Dhanda Achieves Medal Treble
The mixed team gold is Dhanda’s third medal at the Asian Games 2026. She has already made history by winning the individual women's trap gold and then collected a team silver with Aashima Ahlawat and Manisha Keer.
Her individual gold was especially significant as she became the first Indian woman to win an individual Asian Games gold medal in trap shooting. The mixed team victory now gives her a medal across individual, team and mixed team formats at the same edition of the Games.
Dhanda’s three-medal haul is a picture of her consistency in the shooting competition. After winning gold in the individual event and silver in the team competition, she returned for the mixed team event and helped India to overcome the qualification deficit to win another gold.
For Indian shooting, the success also shows the depth of competition across formats. In the mixed team event, the athletes need to combine their individual skills with tactical coordination, which is why Dhanda and Chenai were important in the medal rounds.
Kynan Chenai Adds Another Asian Games Gold
Chenai also added another major Asian Games medal to his collection. The experienced Indian trap shooter had previously won men's team trap gold and men's individual trap bronze at the 2022 Asian Games.
Chenai's mixed team gold in 2026 is therefore another achievement in his history across multiple editions of the continental competition. His experience helped India to recover from the fourth place qualification position and to progress through the medal rounds.
The partnership with Dhanda was key in the final against Qatar. Both shooters kept cool in difficult conditions and remained focused in the final gold medal match.
NRAI Praises Indian Trap Shooters
NRAI President Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo described Dhanda’s performance as a phenomenal achievement. He highlighted her individual gold, team silver and mixed team gold as an extraordinary medal run.
Singh Deo also praised Chenai and highlighted his performance for India across different formats and Asian Games editions. He said that the victory over Qatar after starting fourth in qualification showed the character of the Indian pair.
NRAI Secretary General Pawan Kumar Singh also praised Dhanda and Chenai's composure. He highlighted their ability to recover from a modest qualification round and defeat Qatar in the final.
The result reflects the progress of India's trap shooting program and its ability to produce medals across individual, team and mixed team events, Singh said.
With Dhanda completing her golden hat-trick and Chenai winning another Asian Games title, India's mixed trap team victory was another memorable moment in the country's shooting campaign at the 2026 Asian Games.
