The 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya continued with a busy Day 11 for the Indian contingent on September 29. India entered the day with medal opportunities across shooting, boxing, athletics and several other sports, and the day quickly produced significant results.
The biggest achievement came from shooter Neeru Dhanda, who won the gold medal in the women’s individual trap event. The Haryana shooter produced a score of 28 hits in the eight-athlete final and broke the previous Asian Games record of 24. Her performance gave India its first individual gold medal of the 2026 Asian Games and created a historic milestone in women’s trap shooting.
Neeru’s victory was particularly significant because she became the first Indian woman to win an individual Asian Games gold medal in the trap event. China’s Yunong Sun finished with 26 hits to take the silver medal, while Kuwait’s Hajar Abdulmalik won bronze with 21 hits. Neeru’s 28-hit performance therefore gave her both the gold medal and a new Asian Games record.
The shooting competition also produced another medal for India. Neeru Dhanda, Aashima Ahlawat and Manisha Keer combined to win silver in the women’s trap team event. The Indian team added to the country’s medal tally during a productive day for the shooting contingent.
Boxing also delivered a medal for India through Narender Berwal. Competing in the men’s plus 90kg heavyweight category, Narender faced Kazakhstan’s reigning world champion Aibek Oralbay in the semifinal. Oralbay won the bout by unanimous decision, meaning Narender finished the competition with a bronze medal.
Although Narender could not progress to the final, his bronze added another medal to India’s overall tally. The result also meant that India had secured multiple boxing medals at the Games, with other Indian boxers continuing their campaigns in their respective weight categories.
Another important boxing result came from Ankush Panghal in the men’s 80kg category. Ankush defeated Uzbekistan’s Fazliddin Erkinboev in the semifinal to reach the final. His victory kept India’s hopes alive for another boxing gold medal.
The Day 11 schedule had featured several other medal events in athletics. Indian athletes were listed to compete in the men’s pole vault, women’s high jump, women’s hammer throw, men’s and women’s 800m, men’s 5000m and relay events.
In the men’s 5000m, double medallist Gulveer Singh was scheduled to compete alongside Avinash Sable. Gulveer entered the event after already securing two medals at the Games, while Sable was also among India’s leading distance runners. Their appearance added another major athletics event to India’s Day 11 programme.
The athletics programme also included Dev Kumar Meena and Kuldeep Kumar in the men’s pole vault final. Pooja and Supriya Sindigere Basavaraju were scheduled for the women’s high jump final, while Anushka Yadav and Tanya Chaudhary were listed for the women’s hammer throw final.
Mohammed Afsal was scheduled to compete in the men’s 800m final, while Pooja was listed for the women’s 800m final. India was also due to feature in the mixed 4x100m relay and the men’s and women’s 4x400m relay finals.
Apart from athletics, the Indian contingent was involved in several non-medal events during the day. Indian athletes competed in archery, track cycling, squash, tennis, volleyball, surfing and kurash.
In squash, the Indian women’s team was scheduled to face Iran. In volleyball, India’s men were set to play Qatar in the preliminary round. Tennis action included singles, doubles and mixed doubles matches involving Indian players.
Archery also remained an important part of India’s Day 11 campaign, with Indian competitors taking part in individual elimination rounds. Dhiraj Bommadevara and Neeraj Chauhan were among the Indian archers scheduled for action in the men’s recurve competition, while Kirti and Kumkum Mohod were listed in the women’s recurve individual event.
The day began with several early-morning competitions. Indian athletes were involved in surfing, archery, kurash, shooting and track cycling from the morning session. The shooting programme was particularly important because both the men’s and women’s trap events had medal implications.
For the Indian shooting team, Neeru Dhanda’s individual gold represented the standout result. Her performance was not only a personal achievement but also an important moment for Indian women’s shooting at the Asian Games. By setting a new Games record in the final, she added a record-breaking element to her historic victory.
Following the shooting and boxing results, India’s overall medal tally moved to 48 medals, comprising five gold, 21 silver and 22 bronze medals, according to reports published on September 29. India was placed in the lower half of the top group in the overall medal standings at that stage of the competition.
Day 11 therefore became an important day for India at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Neeru Dhanda’s historic gold provided the biggest individual result, while the women’s trap team silver and Narender Berwal’s boxing bronze added further medals. Ankush Panghal’s progression to the boxing final also gave India another opportunity to add to its gold medal count.
With several athletics and other sporting events continuing through the day, India’s medal campaign remained active across multiple disciplines. The combination of shooting success, boxing medals and further opportunities in athletics and team events made Day 11 one of the significant days of India’s 2026 Asian Games campaign.
Three Line Content
Neeru Dhanda won India’s first individual gold medal of the 2026 Asian Games in the women’s trap event and set a new Asian Games record.
Boxer Narender Berwal secured bronze in the men’s plus 90kg category after losing his semifinal to Kazakhstan’s Aibek Oralbay.
India’s medal tally reached 48 medals, including five gold, 21 silver and 22 bronze medals, as Day 11 continued in Aichi-Nagoya.
