Avani Lekhara, India’s SH1 shooter, created history today by securing a gold at the 10m air rifle standing SH1 event, at the Paris Paralympics, while Mona Agarwal won bronze at the Women’s 10m air rifle final (SH1).
Is This Avani’s First Medal?
Avani Lekhara created history by securing the top podiums successively in two paralympic events. She surpassed her own previous Paralympic record of 249.6, by scoring an unbeatable 249.7 this time. She had clinched the gold in the last Paralympics too, which was held in Tokyo, she has maintained the streak this time as well. In the Tokyo Paralympics she had won the bronze too in the 50m rifle event.
The Last Round
The final round of her shooting match was nothing short of nail-biting. She scored 10.5 in her final shot and brought her scores in a balance with her Korean opponent, Yunri Lee. Lee seemed sure to mean the first spot, but then the pressure got better of her, as she scored only a disappointing 6.8 in her last shot. This sealed the deal and Avani won the gold with a margin of no less than 1.9.
Who Is Mona Agarwal?
Mona took up shooting just in 2021 and this is only her 4th international shooting event. Earlier she has also proven her capability in the sports of shot put and powerlifting.
Mona Agarwal’s Shooting Performance
This victory by Avani was made even more memorable for the Indians back home when Mona clinched her bronze medal in the very same event. She scored 228.7 points but eventually lost to Yunri Lee who got silver.
What Is The SH1 Category?
The SH1 is a category in the sport of shooting in the Paralympics. It includes athletes with some kind of disability in their limbs, or if they do not possess limbs, then too, they would fall in this category.
The brilliant performance by these two shooters has begun the medal tally for a hopeful India, and this encouraging performance was much needed after the Paris Olympics 2024, where India couldn’t perform as well as it had expected to. This performance and these Paralympics are expected to bring a respite to India.
