Neeru Dhanda to carry India’s flag at Asian Games closing ceremony in Nagoya

Neeru Dhanda will be India’s women's flag-bearer at the Asian Games closing ceremony in Nagoya on Sunday. The 27-year-old trap shooter won two gold medals and a silver during the Games.

The decision to name Dhanda as India's women's flag-bearer was confirmed by deputy chef de mission Anjali Bhagwat on Friday. The appointment will bring a close to a campaign in which she emerged as one of the country's most successful athletes. Dhanda had returned to India after winning her third medal, but will travel back to Nagoya on Saturday morning for the closing ceremony.

Dhanda opened her Asian Games campaign by winning the women's individual trap gold. She then combined with Manisha Keer and Aashima Ahlawat to secure silver in the women's team event. In the trap mixed team event she partnered Kynan Chenai to win another gold, taking her total at Nagoya to three medals.

Her success in Nagoya adds another major achievement to what has already been an impressive year. Dhanda won the women's trap gold at the ISSF World Cup in Lonato earlier this year. Her three-medal haul in Nagoya also highlights the contribution of Indian shooting to the country's campaign.

Dhanda's consistency across individual, team and mixed-team competition allowed her to finish the Games with gold medals in two different formats. After standing on the podium three times during the Games, she will now lead the Indian contingent into the final celebrations, carrying the national flag alongside India's yet-to-be-announced men's flag-bearer. From winning gold on the shooting range to carrying the tricolour at the closing ceremony, Dhanda's Asian Games journey has been one of the defining stories of India's campaign in Nagoya.

"The decision on the male flag bearer will be taken tomorrow," Bhagwat said.