Chateauroux: The Indian shooters put on a brilliant show. Avani Lekhara clinched gold with the Games record, and Mona Agarwal won bronze in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 at the Paris Paralympics on Friday.
Avani, with her unwavering determination, broke her own record from the Tokyo Games in the final, finishing first in the eight-player competition. She finished with 249.7, setting a new Paralympic record in the category. Her previous best was 249.6 at the Tokyo Paralympics.
Mona, with her competitive spirit, briefly led the last round of shots before finishing third with a total of 228.7 to win a bronze medal in the event and kick off the country’s medal tally at the Games.
South Korea’s Lee Yunri claimed the silver medal with a total of 246.8. She lost the gold on the final shot after shooting 6.8, as Avani successfully defended her gold medal, which she won in her Paralympic debut in Tokyo.
In the qualification round, Avani finished second with 625.8, while Mona was placed fifth with a score of 623.1. Ukraine’s Iryna Shchetnik topped the qualifications with a Paralympic qualification record of 627.5, surpassing Chinese shooter Zhang Cuiping’s record set in the Tokyo Games.
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The SH1 category is specifically designed for shooters with lower limb impairments like amputations or paraplegia, who have the ability to hold their gun without difficulty and shoot from a standing or sitting position. This category requires a high level of skill and concentration, as the shooters need to maintain their balance and focus while aiming and shooting.
Avani, a trailblazer, made history in Tokyo in 2020, when she became the first Indian woman to win a pair of medals at a single edition of the Paralympics. She won the 10m air rifle gold and the 50m rifle three-position bronze in the SH1 category.
Her remarkable achievements have been recognised with prestigious awards such as the Padma Shri and Khel Ratna.
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–IANS
