Paralympics 2024: Avani Lekhara wins gold medal in 10m Air Rifle shooting

Shooters Avani Lekhara and Mona Aggarwal opened India's account at the 2024 Paris Paralympics by securing gold and bronze medals, respectively, in the women's 10m air rifle standing SH1 event. Avani, who won the gold medal in the same event at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, successfully defended her title, setting a Paralympic Games record with 249.7 points in the final standings.

India's para-shooter Mona Aggarwal, who secured the bronze medal, finished with 228.7 points in the final standings.

Who is Avani Lekhara?

Avani, who became the first Indian woman para-shooter to win gold in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, is now also the only Indian woman to win two gold medals at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. Avani met with an accident when she was just 11 years old and became wheelchair-bound. She broke her own Paralympics Games record of 249.6 points in Tokyo by scoring 249.7 in Paris.

 

Born in Jaipur, Rajasthan, Avani was encouraged by her father to take up sports after the accident to recover from her loss. She leaned towards para-shooting after being inspired by Abhinav Bindra. She took up the sport as a full-time career in 2015. Her moment of shine came when she won two medals in the Tokyo Paralympics, securing a gold and a bronze in the same edition of the games. Avani was later awarded the Padma Shri and the Khel Ratna award by the government for her historic achievements.

Who is Mona Aggarwal?

She became wheelchair-bound after suffering from early-onset polio during her childhood. The 34-year-old Aggarwal, born in Sikar, Rajasthan, became a para-athlete with the support of her maternal grandmother. Before settling on para-shooting in 2021, she tried her hand at para-powerlifting, para-discus throw, and para-javelin. After winning bronze at the 2023 WSPS World Cup in Croatia, Mona secured her Paralympic berth by winning a gold medal at the 2024 WSPS World Cup in New Delhi. She will also compete in the 50m rifle prone R6 and women's 50m rifle three-position R8 events in Paris.