For gold medal-winning shooter Neeru Dhanda, 26, marriage could wait. A medal could not. The shooter from Sangatpura village in Jind district had made it clear to her family that she would marry only after winning a medal at the Asian Games and the Olympics.Belonging to a lower-middle-class family that earns a living by selling buffalo milk, Neeru took up shooting at the age of 19, which is considered an advanced age for most sports.However, it was her grit, backed by strong support from her family and relative Sombir Sheoran, who initially provided all kinds of help to her, that got her going from the beginning. She gradually picked up the sport and was selected by the Sports Authority of India (SAI).Last year marked a major success in her career when she was selected as a Naib Subedar in the Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU) of the Army.After getting the job, when her family raised the subject of marriage, she made it clear that she would marry only after winning a medal at the Asian Games and the Olympics.Her Asian Games gold in the women’s individual trap shooting has now fulfilled the first part of that ambition, while an Olympic gold remains her next target.The second of three siblings, Neeru has a younger brother who is pursuing graduation and an elder sister who is married. Her family lives in a modest one-room house where buffaloes were tied in the verandah and the family earned its livelihood by selling milk. The unpainted walls of the house are now covered with Neeru’s medals and mementoes.Her father, farmer Suresh Dhanda, was initially hesitant about allowing her to take up shooting because of the expenses involved in the sport. Her mother, however, supported her decision. A relative, Sombir Sheoran, encouraged Neeru and provided logistical support when she started training in 2019.Even dengue could not stop her Asian Games campaign. She was admitted to a Delhi hospital shortly before the Games, delaying her departure by four days. She eventually left on September 21 instead of September 18.From a one-room home to the Asian Games podium, Neeru has come a long way. But her sights are now firmly set on the Olympics.