Paris 2024 Paralympics: Shooter Avani Lekhara Makes History With 2nd Successive Gold, Mona Agarwal Takes Bronze

The incredible Avani Lekhara won a second successive Paralympic Games gold medal in women's 10m air rifle (SH1) event here on Friday as compatriot Mona Agarwal claimed a bronze.

Avani Lekhara clinched the top prize with a Paralympic record score of 249.7 as silver medal winner Yunri Lee of Korea hit a 6.8 on her last shot to finish on 246.8. Mona Agarwal won bronze with a total of 228.7.

Winner of the Tokyo Paralympics gold three years back, Avani, 22, shot a superb 249.7 to erase her own record of 249.6 set in Japanese capital, while Mona, who took up shooting sport in 2022, notched up 228.7 for the bronze.

During the qualifying rounds, Avani shot a score of 625.8, placing her behind Iryna Shchetnik, who set a new Paralympic Qualification Record with a score of 627.5. Mona, a two-time World Cup gold medallist competing in her first Paralympics, achieved a score of 623.1.

Back in Tokyo, Avani Lekhara became the fourth Indian athlete to win a Paralympics gold after swimmer Murlikant Petkar (1972), Javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia (2004 and 2016), and high jumper Thangavelu Mariyappan (2016).

Avani, who is wheel-chair bound after a car mishap left her paralysed below the waist when she was 11-years-old, had became the first woman shooter from the country to win medals in shooting at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021. SH1 category in shooting involves athletes who have movement affected in their arms, lower trunk, legs or have no limbs.