Bodhana Sivanandan, 11: Youngest Woman Grandmaster Explained
India’s fifth gold of the Asian Games came from a first-time champion. Neeru Dhanda won the women’s trap individual gold in Aichi-Nagoya on September 29, becoming the first Indian woman to win the event.
She did it in record style, hitting 28 from 30 in the final for a new Asian record. China’s Sun Yunong took silver with 26 and Kuwait’s Hajar Abdulmalik bronze with 21. She had already topped qualification with 118 hits.
The 26-year-old from Jind, Haryana, is a Naib Subedar in the Indian Army’s Marksmanship Unit. She took up shooting after watching her cousin Lakshay Sheoran win silver in men’s trap at the 2018 Jakarta Games.
The gold caps a breakthrough year. Dhanda won the 2025 Asian Championship and then became the first Indian woman to win an individual ISSF World Cup gold in trap at Lonato. She also helped India take team silver on the same day.
Her story is still being written. Trap shooting rewards patience and nerve, and Dhanda has shown both at every step. With bigger titles ahead, Indian shooting has found its newest star.
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