Paris Paralympics: Avani Lekhara shoots gold in 10m air rifle as India open account; Mona settles for bronze

India has opened their account at the ongoing Paris Paralympics after shooter Avani Lekhara won a gold medal in the 10m air rifle SH1 on Friday (Aug 30). The shooter defended her crown having won a gold medal at the Tokyo Games in 2021 which is also her third Paralympics medal. On the other hand, Mona Agarwal clinched bronze in the same event which was a double joy for India.

A double medalist at the Tokyo Para Games, Avani was in great form for India as she got the better of her opponents with a precise score of 249.7. She continued her stellar form having entered the Para Games as one of the favourites to win the gold. Her closest competitor was South Korea’s Lee Yunri who scored 246.8 to take the silver medal. The medal is Avani’s third at the Para Games having clinched gold and bronze medals in Tokyo.

Paris has been a happy hunting for Avani having also won gold medals in the 10m air rifle SH1 and 50m rifle 3 positions SH1 position at the World Cup last year. She also won a silver medal in the World Cup held in South Korea. Adding more glory Avani also shot gold at the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou which were held in 2023.

On the other hand, Mona settled for a bronze medal in the same event having ended with a points tally of 228.7 points. The 37-year-old made her debut on the range in 2023 and has hit the ground running with a bronze medal in her debut Para Games.

So far India has enjoyed great success in Paris in shooting with Manu Bhaker, Sarabjot Singh and Swpanil Kusale winning a bronze medal in the Olympics. The trio’s success has been doubled with the addition of medals in the Paris Para Games.