Indian Shooters Kynan Chenai and Neeru Dhanda Claim Trap Mixed Team Gold at Asian Games

Indian shooters Kynan Chenai and Neeru Dhanda won the trap mixed team gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Wednesday. The pair shot a total to qualify fourth for the four-team final before setting an Asian Games record of 34 to beat China for the top spot.

Family Ties And Background

Kynan began shotgun shooting in 2003 after watching his father Darius, a former national trap champion, at a range in Hyderabad. Kynan later married Ria Rajeshwari Kumari, the daughter of 1978 Asian Games trap gold medallist Randhir Singh. Randhir passed away earlier this year, and Darius noted that he would have been delighted by Wednesday's victory. Kynan previously won team gold and individual bronze at Hangzhou in 2023, while Neeru was competing in her maiden Asian Games.

Match Turning Point

During the final, the Indian pair were placed fourth with six points after the first 10 shots. Kynan missed his very first shot of his 20 attempts but missed none after that. Neeru struggled initially by missing three of her first five shots, but she recovered well to shoot two perfect series before missing two shots in the final series.

Context

Trap shooting is a shotgun discipline where competitors shoot at moving clay targets launched from a trap machine. Mixed team events at major multi-sport competitions combine scores from male and female shooters to test overall squad depth. Such performances in Asian competitions often build confidence and ranking points toward upcoming Olympic qualification cycles.