Naib Subedar Neeru Dhanda of the Indian Army has become the first Indian to win an international gold medal in women's shotgun trap shooting.
Representing the Army Marksmanship Unit, she claimed the title at the ISSF World Cup in Lonato, Italy, finishing ahead of world champions from France and Spain. Dhanda scored 121/125 in qualification and 27/30 in the final, with the Indian Army calling it a landmark achievement and a major boost ahead of the Asian Games.
The achievement follows another success for the Army Marksmanship Unit, with Sejal Raju Kamble winning junior women's 10m air pistol gold at the ISSF Junior World Championships in Germany in June. Cadet Navya claimed team gold, while Cadet Himanshi won bronze.
Haryana's 26-year-old Neeru Dhanda, who trained at the Army Marksmanship Unit under the Indian Army's Mission Olympics programme, added to her growing list of achievements after winning gold at the 2025 Asian Shooting Championship.
At the ISSF World Cup in Lonato, she hit 27 of 30 targets in the women's trap final to become the first Indian to win a World Cup gold in a shotgun event, defeating France's Carole Cormenier and Italy's Erica Sessa.