Trap shooter Manisha Keer is aiming to replication her silver medal-winning performance at the Asian Games 2026 in Japan later this month
Published: September 3, 2026, 12:55 PM IST
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India women trap shooter Manisha Keer
Asian Games 2026: Manisha Keer had the option of becoming rifle or pistol shooter when she went to Madhya Pradesh Shooting Academy in Bhopal at a very young ageBut she decided to take up the tough challenge of following on the footsteps of 2004 Athens Olympics silver medallist Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and become a trap shooter for India instead.
The 27-year-old shooter is now gunning to win her second medal at the Asian Games as she is part of the women’s trap team along side Neeru and Aashima AhlawatManisha is aiming to better the silver medal that she won at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, China.
She is one of the 30-member strong shooting team selected by India for the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya in Japan, scheduled to be held between September 19 and October 4The shooting squad also includes two-time Olympics medallist Manu Bhaker and Olympians Rudrankksh Patil and Esha Singh.
Manisha Keera spoke exclusively to India.com discussing her preparation for the Asian Games 2026 and what attracted her to the sport of trap shooting“Rifle and Pistol shooting always appeared a bit slow for me when I came to the shooting academy in Bhopal at the age of 12Clay birds and targets flying always attracted me more and felt more interesting to meThat’s why I picked up the sport of trap shooting,” Manisha Keer told India.com from Bhopal in an exclusive interview.
“But then I was too young to know about the sport of shooting, I was just a kidRifle and Pistol shooting has their own fan base and great atmosphere especially in big tournament like Asian Games and the Olympics,” Manisha added.
Best Wishes to #IndianArmy shooters competing at 20th Asian Games – Aichi-Nagoya, Japan 2026 (19 Sep – 04 Oct 2026).
Nb Sub Kedarling U & Hav Kamljeet – 10M Air Pistol Men
Nb Sub Neeru & Hav Manisha Keer – Trap Women
Wishing our Athletes the very best for the #AsianGames.… pic.twitter.com/KXYNKv6rGi
— Indian Army Sports and Adventure (@IA_SportsAdvntr) September 1, 2026
Manisha is one of seven children of Kailash Keer, who is a fisherman at Bhopal’s Upper LakeBut the Indian trap shooter revealed that it was her father who inspired her to take up the sport.
“My father was the one who was really interested in shootingHe used to hang up balloons at our home and practice shooting and wanted me to become a shooterThen my sister Sonia, who was a rower, pushed me to join the MP Shooting Academy in Bhopal,” Manisha revealed.
MP Shooting Academy provided me full support: Manisha Keer
Coming from a village near Bhopal, it wasn’t easy for Manisha to become a trap shooter without the help of MP Shooting Academy“I couldn’t have become a shooter on my own if I didn’t have the support of Shooting AcademyThey provided me everything that I needed – even the equipment was provided to me when I first started training,” Manisha said.
Currently ranked world No40, Manisha is a two-time medallist in the ISSF World Cup in trap shooing and has also won a gold medal in Asian Championships“Preparation for Asian Games has been going on very wellI am currently training in Bhopal and then I’ll head to the NRAI camp in New Delhi from September 10 before heading out to Japan,” she said.
Manisha credited support from National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) for her continued success in the sport“The support from the NRAI has been very important for meWhen you come from a background where you don’t have everything, having an organisation that gives you the opportunity to compete, train and represent the country means a lotI am very grateful for that support and for the opportunities I have received,” she said.
Asked about her medal chances in the Asian Games this year, Manisha said, “I have taken part in a couple of competitions this year and have made some technical improvements from what I learned in the Asian Games three years backWe are training and preparing ourselves and believe that it will be sufficient for every nation that we face in Japan.
