Asian Para Games: Mona Agarwal secures shooting gold with record score; Avani Lekhara claims silver

India clinched its first medals in shooting at the ongoing Para Asian Games, with Mona Agarwal securing gold with a record score and Avani Lekhara claiming silver. The two Indian shooters were in pole position to finish at the top, with Mona pipping her compatriot in the women’s 10m air rifle (SH1) event in Nagoya on Monday. A bronze medalist at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, Mona jumped from sixth place to set a Para Asiad record of 250.0, beating two-time Paralympic champion Avani by 0.4 points.

Avani, who entered this event as the defending champion, finished second with a score of 249.6. Her silver medal also secured India a second quota place for the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics, while Mona already earned hers at the World Shooting Para Sport (WSPS) World Championships in Changwon, South Korea, last month, where she won a silver medal.

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Yunri Lee from Korea settled for the bronze medal with a score of 227.9. The SH1 classification is for shooters with lower limb impairments.

From Rajasthan to Nagoya

The two Indian shooters from Rajasthan impressed in the duel that went down to the final shot of the 24-shot contest. The eventual gold medal winner Mona held a slender 0.1-point lead over Avani -- 239.2 to 239.1 -- before the decisive shot, where Mona produced a brilliant 10.8, and Avani managed 10.5.

Mona never looked out of touch. She set the pace in qualification, topping the eight-shooter field with 629.1 to create an Asian Para Games qualification record, with Avani finishing second with 626.4.

However, the script changed at the start of the final, with Avani taking an early lead with a 10.8 score to Mona’s 10.1. Avani’s precision kept her nose ahead in the contest after the first five shots with a total of 53.2, further maintaining her advantage after the next five as her score read 104.8, 1.9 ahead of the sixth-place Mona (102.9).

However, the momentum shifted during the elimination stage.

While Avani’s scores dipped with an array of modest results, Mona’s consistency saw her steadily climb up the standings, setting up a thrilling finish.
Mona capped off her campaign in this event with a remarkable performance following a slow start, while Avani added another major medal to her decorated career.