Shooter Avani Lekhara shattered the all-time Paralympics record to claim a historic gold and her compatriot Mona Agarwal secured a bronze to open India's campaign at the Paris Paralympics 2024 in style on Friday (August 30).
Notably, Lekhara had created the all-time Paralympics record at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021 with an aggregate score of 249.6 in the Women's 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 final and accumulated 249.7 in Paris on Friday to better her own personal best and script a new Paralympics record.
Avani has equalled Devendra Jhajharia's all-time India record at the Paralympics. Jhajharia clinched two gold and a silver medal at the Paralympics and Avani also has three Paralympics medals to her credit now.
Notably, Avani had won gold at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021 in the SH1 category and also clinched a bronze in the 50m rifle 3 positions SH1 category.
Watch Avani Lekhara's reaction after claiming gold at Paris Paralympics:
Avani displayed nerves of steel while defending her gold and was in supreme touch. She consistently shot over 10.0 and had a rare miss when she recorded 9.9 on her second-last attempt.
Avani faced stiff competition from Yunri Lee of South Korea who also showcased phenomenal consistency during the medal event. In fact, Lee was inches away from winning the gold medal but fumbled at the last moment.
The South Korean shooter recorded a 6.8 under pressure and missed the gold by a whisker. Lee had to settle for silver.
On the other hand, Mona brought her 'A' game to the shooting range and performed with immaculate accuracy. She finished third and claimed the bronze medal - her first medal at the Paralympics. Mona came to Paris Paralympics as one of the top contenders to secure a medal.
She had clinched gold at the WSPS Para Shooting World Cup in March 2024 which was only her fourth international event.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulates Avani and Mona for historic feat
PM Modi congratulated and lauded both the Indian shooters for their historic achievement at the Paris Paralympics on Friday. He shared an appreciation post for Avani who became the first Indian woman to win two gold medals at the Paralympics and also the first from the country to do it in consecutive editions of the Paralympics.
