Avani Lekhara Clinched Gold Medals & Defends Olympic Title, Mona Agarwal Wins Bronze in Paris Paralympics
The reigning champion Indian Avani Lekhara clinched the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, proved her calibre by scoring 625. 8 in the qualification rounds of the competition. India’s medal tally at the Paris Paralympics began on a high note in the Women’s 10m air rifle final SH1. On Friday, Avani Lekhara got the gold and Mona Agarwal got the bronze medal.
The defending champion Avani Lekhara who claimed gold in the Tokyo Olympics performed brilliantly to get 625. 8 in the qualification rounds slightly behind Iryna Shchetnik who broke the Paralympic Qualification Record with a total of 627. 5.
On the other hand, Mona Agarwal who is new to the Paralympics but a two-time World Cup gold medallist achieved a score of 623. 1. Agarwal was in contention for gold earlier in the event but fell short. Her last shot of 10 in the final elimination round dashed her chances of a better finish.
Indian Shooter Makes History, Avani Lekhara Clinches Gold Medal
This latest victory cemented the phenomenal rise of Avani, who, after a car accident rendered her pinned to a wheelchair below the waist at the age of 11. Avani Lekhara made history in 2021. She won India’s first-ever Paralympic medal in shooting. She competed in the Tokyo Paralympics.
In shooting, the SH1 category is for players whose arms, lower trunks, and legs have restricted movement or no limbs at all.
Arguably the second-best in the boxing ring for most of the fight, Avani amassed an impressive 10.5 to take the final lead against her and get a thumping victory with a total of 249. 7, whereby they got a gold medal and also broke the Paralympic Record.
This is higher than her previous record of 249. 6, which was founded during the Tokyo Games three years ago. Yunri who before the consideration was leading in the competition did pretty badly in her last try scoring only 6. 8, which led to the success of Avani.
Avani Lekhara: From Car Accident to Paralympic Gold
Avani Lekhara’s journey of the hauling with the idea of shooting sports can only be timetabled to the ability of a ‘woman of steel.’ A car accident in 2012 paralyzed Avani from the waist down, altering the course of her life.
After receiving continuous support of her father, Praveen Lekhara, she found out her talent of shooting in 2015 at the Jagatpura Shooting Range, Jaipur.
Inspired by the Olympic gold medalist biography of Abhinav Bindra, Avani took serious training under Chandra Shekhar and then took the guidance of the former air rifle Olympian Suma Shirur. After training for ten years, Avani won her first international medal in 2017.
She earned a bronze medal at the World Shooting Para Sport World Cup in Bangkok, Thailand.
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