Neeru Dhanda won the women’s trap title at the ISSF World Cup in Lonato, Italy, in July 2026. The Haryana shooter later secured two gold medals and one silver at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Her record-breaking performance turned her into a household name after years of hard work.

When Neeru Dhanda was born in Sangatpura village in Haryana’s Jind district, her nani (maternal grandmother) cried, worrying about how her daughter, Sudesh, would manage after giving birth to her second girl child.Twenty-six years later, that same girl is being heralded as the “Laxmi” of the household after her exploits with the shotgun in 2026. First came the ISSF World Cup gold at Lonato, Italy, in July, where she beat an elite field of Olympic and world champions to win the women’s trap title. Then came two gold medals and a silver at the recently concluded Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan—gold in the individual event and then the mixed team event with Kynan Chenai, with both finals producing new Games records, and silver in the women’s team event.