30 September,2026 08:47 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh Mayure
Neeru Dhanda (right) and coach Mansher Singh during the Asian Championships in Kazakhstan last year. PIC/By Special Arrangement
[popcorn number="10kg" desc="Amount of laddoos coach Mansher Singh distributed post Dhanda's win" class="Default"]
Shooter Neeru Dhanda, 26, became the first Indian woman to win an individual shotgun gold at the Asian Games when she clinched the women's trap title in Aichi-Nagoya on Tuesday.
She also won the silver medal alongside Aashima Ahlawat and Manisha Keer in the team trap event.
Interestingly, long before she battled difficult, rainy conditions at the range in Japan, Neeru Dhanda had overcome a much tougher health scare when she was hospitalised in South Delhi a week earlier with Influenza B.
"Her ailment was at a highly infectious stage. We got all the blood tests done in the hospital and she was advised a few days of bed rest. This demoralised her as she had prepared hard for these Games. But I had faith in her ability to recover in time and told her to focus on her diet, nutrition and medication so that she could get out of the hospital at the earliest. And that's exactly what happened," Dhanda's personal coach and former Olympian Mansher Singh told mid-day from New Delhi on Tuesday.
Dhanda missed the preparatory camp back home and also the initial training sessions in Japan due to her illness. She arrived in Japan only on September 23, while the rest of the contingent had reached a few days earlier.
"She had a high viral fever and had to be in hospital for three days [September 18 to 21]. As soon as the doctor said she could be discharged on September 22, we started planning her departure for Japan the following night. She hardly got a couple of days of training in Japan, but as things stand, it was more than enough.
"The most important thing was that she recovered not only physically but also mentally to be able to come up with such a performance. Viral fever can make you very weak, but the motivation to be a part of these Games helped her push ahead," added Mansher, a multiple-time Asian Games medallist.
Clearly, the rain during the final was not as tough as the medical scare, as Mansher emphasised.
"Rain was not a problem. We had prepared for it. The rain was for everyone, so it can't be an excuse. Trap shooting is an outdoor discipline, so these factors have to be accepted. We shooters have the mindset to perform in any weather condition, and that's exactly what Neeru did," he said.
Moments after winning gold, Dhanda dialled Mansher. "We spoke for an hour. She asked me how happy I was. I was training some of my shooters at the range here [in Delhi], where we distributed laddoos to celebrate the medal. I told Neeru, âCongratulations. I have distributed 10kg of laddoos for your golden performance."
"She said she'd celebrate with dinner, but I also told her to focus on tomorrow's mixed event and win another medal for our country. The level at the Asian Games is so high that if you win here, it gives you confidence to do well at the Olympics too. So, LA 2028 is our next target," concluded Mansher.
