A borrowed gun, a pond in Bhopal, and a cousin's relentless encouragement - that was where Neeru Dhanda's journey began. Seven years later, the 26-year-old has broken new ground in Indian shooting.

On Tuesday, Neeru became the first Indian woman to win an individual shotgun gold at the Asian Games with a record-breaking triumph in women's trap here.

From taking aim at makeshift targets with an Indian-made gun belonging to her cousin Lakshay Sheoran's father to conquering the Asian stage, Neeru's rise has been anything but conventional. A farmer's daughter from Jind, Haryana, she had barely six months of shooting experience when she moved to Bhopal in 2019.

The free guns and ammunition provided by the Madhya Pradesh State Shooting Academy gave her the means to pursue a sport that might otherwise have remained beyond her reach.

The spark came from Lakshay, a silver medallist at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. Inspired by her cousin's achievement, Neeru decided to give shooting a shot.

"I didn't know anything about shooting before that. My cousin Lakshay was a silver medallist in Jakarta. I was inspired by that medal," Neeru said after her historic triumph.

Armed with her cousin's father's gun, she practised at a talaiya (pond) in Bhopal, using a tin as a makeshift target and learning to aim through trial and error.

"I would keep a target far away and try to shoot at it," she recalled.

It was Lakshay's parents who brought her to the Madhya Pradesh State Shooting Academy, where free guns, ammunition and institutional support helped transform a tentative beginning into an international career.

For Neeru, the backing was invaluable. Her father is a farmer, her mother a homemaker, and the family's modest financial circumstances offered little room to fund an expensive sport like shooting.

That support has now culminated in a landmark achievement. Neeru's Asian Games gold, following a World Cup medal in Lonato, Italy, earlier this year, has ended India's long wait for an individual women's shotgun title at the continental showpiece.

The gold, however, came against formidable odds. Just 10 days before the competition, Neeru was hospitalised after falling seriously ill. She missed an entire training camp and went five days without food, surviving only on water. With her preparations disrupted, it was her coach, Mansher Singh, who helped keep her focused.

"I was in a very bad condition. I didn't train during the whole camp. I didn't eat anything for five days. I just drank water. I used to talk to my coach daily.

"Even after coming here, I spoke to him every day. He told me it didn't matter even if I couldn't train for four or five days," she said.

If illness had disrupted her preparations, relentless rain and plunging temperatures in Nagoya tested her technique and temperament. The rain affected her grip and altered the familiar sensation of handling the gun, forcing her to guard against distractions.

"When we train in clear weather, we also face challenges. The rain falls on our hands. We feel the sensation and our process changes. So, I used to talk to myself during the competition. I kept telling myself, 'Neeru, it will come. Even if there is a storm, we should not look down. We should look up," she said.

Neeru's training had prepared her for precisely such situations. Her coach introduces distractions, including tugging at her jacket or throwing a chair in front of her as she prepares to shoot.

"We create such situations in training, where we have to fight distractions. We train with loud music and other distractions," she said.

"It was not easy, but I made it easy. Future juniors and players training for India in trap and shotgun will feel that if Neeru can do it, then we can do it," she said.

The Army shooter dedicated her medal to soldiers guarding the country's borders, saying her commitment to representing the force would remain unchanged.

She also dedicated the gold to former Asian Games champion Raja Ranjit Singh, who won the title in 1978 and died earlier this year. Neeru recalled the affection he showed towards shooters and said her victory would keep his memory alive.

Even with a historic gold within reach, Neeru kept her preparations simple. After topping qualification with a score of 95, she stuck to her routine, eating well, sleeping and avoiding unnecessary pressure.

Her comfort food in Nagoya was dal and roti, which she ordered from a Bangladeshi restaurant.