India’s shooting medal tally grew further after Neeru Dhanda’s gold in women’s trap.

Her score of 28 out of 30 set a new Asian record for the event.

It is the first Asian Games gold for an Indian woman in any shotgun event.

She had earlier helped India to a team silver in the same discipline.

India’s overall medal tally at the Games rose to 48.

She is the first Indian woman to win an Asian Games gold medal in any shotgun event.

The win came hours after Dhanda had helped India win silver in the women’s trap team event.

Dhanda is 26 years old.

India’s medal tally at the Asian Games rose to 48 following her win, including five gold, 21 silver and 22 bronze medals.

The Asian Games 2026 are being held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4.

India’s shooting programme has produced multiple medals across rifle, pistol and shotgun events at these Games.

Trap shooting involves hitting clay targets launched from a single trap house at varying angles and speeds.

India has separately won medals across other sports at these Games, including cricket, hockey, squash and javelin.

Neeru Dhanda’s gold adds to a broader rise in India’s shotgun shooting results in recent years.

Trap shooting finals are typically contested among the top qualifiers from an earlier qualification round.

India’s shooting federation has invested in coaching and international exposure for shotgun athletes in recent years.

The Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery has hosted multiple shooting events during these Asian Games.

Team events in shotgun shooting combine the scores of three athletes from each country.

China has traditionally been one of the strongest nations in Asian shotgun shooting competitions.

Neeru Dhanda won gold in the women’s trap event at the Asian Games 2026 on September 29.

Trap shooting (representative image), Wikimedia Commons, public domain

India’s main rivals in the Asian Games 2026 javelin final are Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga and Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem.

Rumesh Tharanga holds the best season mark among the 14 athletes entered.

India are represented by Rohit Yadav and Yash Vir Singh, in Neeraj Chopra’s absence.

Rohit Yadav’s personal best this year is 87.68m, the second-best season mark.

India are chasing a third straight Asian Games javelin gold.

That mark is the second-best season throw among the 14 athletes entered in the event, behind only Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga.

Yash Vir Singh has also recorded his career-best mark this year, a personal best of 85.41m at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July.

Yash Vir Singh won bronze at the Commonwealth Games with that throw.

The main challengers to India’s gold include Rumesh Tharanga of Sri Lanka and Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan.

Rohit Yadav has said he cannot take Neeraj Chopra’s place but will try for an Asian Games medal in his own right.

The javelin throw final was one of the headline events on the Asian Games athletics schedule for September 28.

India’s javelin programme has grown significantly since Neeraj Chopra’s Olympic gold in Tokyo in 2021, with a deeper pool of competitive throwers emerging.

The Asian Games 2026 are being held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4.

India has won medals across multiple sports at these Games, including cricket, hockey, shooting and squash.

The men’s javelin throw final typically features eight to twelve finalists after a qualification round.

India’s athletics contingent at these Games also includes competitors in sprints, middle-distance and field events.

India’s javelin throw challenge at the Asian Games 2026 is being led by Rohit Yadav and Yash Vir Singh.

Neeraj Chopra will miss the Games after a ligament tear during training ended his 2026 season early.

Javelin throw (representative image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

India has two squash finalists at the Asian Games 2026: Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh.

Both reached their respective singles finals on September 27.

Anahat faces Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam, and Abhay faces Malaysia’s Ng Eain Yow.

India’s squash programme has produced a strong pipeline of young players in recent years.

A gold medal for either finalist would carry direct qualification for the LA 2028 Olympics.

Abhay Singh beat Pakistan’s Muhammad Irfan 3-0 (11-3, 12-10, 11-6) to reach his final.

A gold medal in squash singles at these Asian Games carries direct qualification for the LA 2028 Olympics, subject to athletes meeting all required criteria.

Squash is set to make its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.

Both finals were scheduled for September 27 at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

Anahat Singh had earlier called her semifinal comeback win the career-best performance of her career.

India’s squash programme has produced a strong pipeline of young players in recent years.

The Asian Games 2026 are being held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4.

India’s broader medal tally at these Games has included medals in shooting, hockey, cricket and weightlifting.

Malaysia has traditionally been one of the strongest squash nations in Asia.

Squash has been a full medal sport at the Asian Games since 1998.

India first won an individual Asian Games squash medal in the men’s category in the early 2000s.

Junior-level success has been a strong indicator for several current Indian squash players, including past Asian junior titles.

The Professional Squash Association world rankings are used to seed players at major tournaments, including multi-sport Games like the Asian Games.

India’s squash federation has invested in coaching exchanges and international exposure tournaments for its top junior and senior players in recent years.

Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh both reached the squash singles finals at the Asian Games 2026.

Squash court (representative image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0