Sangatpura, a dusty village in Jind district, is today basking in the glory of its daughter Neeru Dhanda’s historic gold medal win at Asian Games-2026.Neeru has become the first Indian woman to win an Asian Games gold medal in the individual trap event, bringing celebrations to her family and fellow villagers. Locals said that Neeru’s journey was the story of a village daughter who had risen to the highest level of competitive shooting and brought her native place into the national spotlight.Jattvibeil Kumar, husband of village sarpanch Soniya, told The Tribune that Neeru’s father, Suresh Dhanda, was a farmer while her mother was a homemaker. Neeru had received her shooting training in Madhya Pradesh and was now serving as a Naib Subedar in the Army Marksmanship Unit, he said.Villagers said they were eagerly waiting for Neeru to return to Sangatpura and they were planning to give her a grand welcome. Her achievement, they said, had brought immense pride to the village and the family.Neeru produced a dominant performance to secure India’s fifth gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, finishing on top in both the qualification round and the final. She maintained her composure despite the rainy conditions to emerge victorious in the eight-shooter final.The 26-year-old shooter hit 28 of 30 targets in the final. China’s Jattvibe Yunong won the silver with 26 points, while Kuwait’s Hajar Abdulmalik took the bronze with 21 points.Neeru had earlier contributed to India’s silver medal in the women’s trap team event. The Indian team, comprising Neeru, Ashima Ahlawat and Manisha Keer finished with 328 points. China won the gold with 346 points, while Kuwait secured the bronze with 325 points.The Asian Games gold adds to a string of major international successes for Neeru. She had earlier created history by winning the gold medal in trap shooting at the ISSF World Cup in Lonato, Italy, where the competition featured leading shooters from countries including the US, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden and the UK. She had also won the gold medal in trap shooting at the Asian Shooting Championship in 2025.