NAGOYA, OCT 2: Indian trap shooter Naib Subedar Neeru Dhanda has been named India’s women’s flag-bearer for the Asian Games 2026 closing ceremony, capping a landmark campaign in which she won two gold medals and a silver at the Aichi-Nagoya Games. The 27-year-old will return to Nagoya on Saturday to lead the Indian contingent during Sunday’s closing ceremony.
Dhanda’s selection was confirmed by Anjali Bhagwat, India’s Deputy Chef de Mission, who said the shooter would return to Japan after having travelled back to India following the completion of her events. The decision came just a day after Dhanda secured her third medal of the Games.
The honour follows a remarkable run in the shooting arena. Dhanda opened her campaign by winning the women’s individual trap gold, becoming the first Indian woman to win an individual Asian Games gold in trap shooting. She topped the eight-shooter final with a score of 26 after recording 28 hits in qualification, an Asian Games qualification record according to reports.
She subsequently teamed up with Manisha Keer and Aashima Ahlawat to win silver in the women’s trap team event, contributing a score of 118 out of 125. Dhanda then partnered Kynan Chenai in the mixed trap team event and won another gold. Their combined score of 34 surpassed the previous Asian Games record of 30, according to ANI’s account of the event.
With the three-medal haul, Dhanda emerged as one of India’s prominent performers at the continental event, securing two gold medals and one silver across individual, women’s team and mixed-team competitions. She had also won an individual women’s trap gold at the ISSF World Cup in Lonato earlier this year.
Her Asian Games campaign was particularly notable because it followed a difficult period immediately before the competition. The Indian Express reported that Dhanda had been hospitalised shortly before the Games and had gone several weeks without training, raising doubts over her participation. She nevertheless travelled to Japan and went on to win the individual trap title.
The flag-bearing assignment will require Dhanda to make a quick return journey to Japan. After completing her shooting events, she returned to India on Thursday but was scheduled to fly back to Nagoya on Saturday morning for the closing ceremony. Reports said she was still recovering from a viral illness when she received the news of her selection.
For Dhanda, the closing ceremony will provide another major milestone in an Asian Games campaign already marked by individual and team success. She will carry the Indian tricolour into the closing ceremony, representing the country’s contingent after contributing three medals to India’s campaign in Aichi-Nagoya. The men’s flag-bearer was yet to be announced as of Friday evening.
