Gold for India! Avani Lekhara becomes the first Indian woman to win two gold medals at the Paralympics

Avani Lekhara, the newest champion who has won gold at the Tokyo Games, flaunted her exceptional abilities as she scored 625.8 in the qualification rounds. Lekhara became the first Indian woman to win 2 gold medals at the Paralympics. 

Read the article and learn about Avani Lekhara’s achievement in the Paralympic games in August 2024. 

Avani Lekhara: First Indian Women to Win 2 Golds

The commencement of the Paris Paralympics started brilliantly with India’s amazing performance in the Women’s 10, Air Rifle Final (SH1). Avani Lekhara earned the gold medal, and Mona Agarwal won a bronze medal this year on 30th August (Friday). 

Avani Lekhara, the newest champion who has won gold at the Tokyo Games, flaunted her exceptional abilities as she scored 625.8 in the qualification rounds—Iryana Shchetnik, who was very close to Avani Lekhara with a score of 627.5. Lekhara became the first Indian woman to win 2 gold medals at the Paralympics. 

Who is Avani Lekhara?

Avani Lekhara is a rifle shooter and an Indian Paralympian who won a gold medal in the 10m air rifle while playing at the Summer Paralympics 2024 (In Paris), also defended the gold she won at Tokyo. She is from Rajasthan, India, and won 2 consecutive golds. 

In the meantime, Mona Aggarwal, who competed in her first Paralympics Scored 623.1. She is a 2 time World Cup Gold Medallist. On the other hand, Avani Lekhara had already competed for the gold in the last edition. Her final shot of 10 priced her the likelihood of finishing the highest. 

This latest victory of Avani defines her remarkable journey after her car accident due to which she got paralyzed below the waist at just 11. In 2021, she created history at the Tokyo Paralympics. She became the first female shooter to win medals in shooting from India. 

What is the SH1 Category in the Paralympics?

The SH1 category in the Paralympics includes those athletes who face issues in movement due to injuries or problems in their arms, legs, lower trunks, or missing limbs.

What Record did Avani Lekhara set in the Paralympics?

Lekhara was placed in the second position after her final shot in which she achieved a 10.5 score.  This led to her win with a final tally of 249.7 and she earned the gold medal. With this she set a new Paralympic Record and surpassed her own established record of 249.6 that she scored during the Tokyo Games 2021, three years back.

Yunri was the biggest competition lost her confidence in the first attempt and registerd a score of 6.8, and this made the way for Avani’s win. Lekhara was able to achieve this due to her determination and resilience. 

What happened with Avani Lekhara?

Avani Lekhara met with a car accident in 2012 and she was paralyzed from the waist down left part of her body. She faced difficult time in her life in which her father, Praveen Lekhara, supported her a lot. She found her passion for shooting in 2015 in the Jaipur’s Jagatpura Shooting Range.

Who is the Inspiration of Avani Lekhara?

Avani Lekhara was inspired by Abhinav Bindra’s autobiography. Bindra is an Olympic gold medalist. 

Who is the Coach of Avani Lekhara?

Chandra Shekher, the training coach of Avani Lekhara, opted Suma Shirur, former Air Rifle Olympian, as Lekhara’s personal mentor. 

In 2017, Lekhara secured her first ever international medal which was a bronze at the World Shooting Para Sport World Cup in Bangkok.

Conclusion

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