India continued its strong medal run at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with two major individual performances on September 29. Shooter Neeru Dhanda won a historic gold medal in the women’s individual trap event, while boxer Narender Berwal secured bronze in the men’s +90kg category. Their achievements added to an increasingly impressive campaign for the Indian contingent.
Neeru Dhanda Creates History
Neeru Dhanda delivered one of the biggest performances of the day by winning gold in the women’s individual trap shooting event. The 26-year-old shooter produced a remarkable 28 hits out of 30 in the final, finishing ahead of China’s Sun Yunong, who took silver with 26, and Kuwait’s Hajar Abdulmalik, who won bronze with 21.
Dhanda’s score also broke the previous Asian record of 24, making her achievement even more significant. She has now become the first Indian woman to win an individual Asian Games gold medal in trap shooting.
The gold comes during a particularly successful period for Dhanda. She had already won silver in the women’s trap team event at these Games alongside Aashima Ahlawat and Manisha Keer. The Indian trio finished behind China, while Kuwait claimed bronze.
Dhanda’s rise has been rapid. She also enjoyed success at the 2025 Asian Shooting Championships and won gold at the 2026 ISSF Shotgun World Cup, building momentum ahead of the Asian Games.
Narender Takes Bronze in Boxing
India also added a bronze medal through Narender Berwal in the men’s +90kg boxing event. Narender reached the semifinals after defeating Thailand’s Adthapong Saengtep in the quarterfinals, ensuring India another boxing medal.
In the semifinal, however, Narender faced Kazakhstan’s reigning world champion Aibek Oralbay. The Kazakh boxer controlled the contest and won by a unanimous 5-0 decision, taking all three rounds on the judges’ scorecards. Narender therefore finished with the bronze medal.
The bronze is significant for Narender as it is his second Asian Games bronze, following his podium finish at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games.
Meanwhile, Indian boxing received further encouragement as Parveen Hooda and Ankush Panghal reached their respective finals, assuring India of at least two more silver medals.
With Dhanda’s historic gold and Narender’s bronze, India’s medal tally reached 48 medals five gold, 21 silver and 22 bronze as of September 29. The results underline another productive day for the Indian contingent at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
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