Paralympics: Double Podium For India in Paris; Avani Lekhara Wins Gold Medal, Mona Wins Bronze

India have attained a double podium finish in the Women's 10m Air rifle shooting at the Paris Paralympics as Mona Agarwal has secured a bronze and Avani Lekhara has won the gold medal. India are off the mark in the Paris Paralympics with two medals from the same event. Avani Lekhara finishes with a score of 249.7, bettering her own Paralympic Record of 249.6 from Tokyo 2020. Mona Agarwal on the other hand finished with a score of 228.7. This is Avani Lekhara's third Paralympics medal. She secured two medals in Tokyo and has come back to win a Gold in the French capital. On the other end, Mona Agarwal will step on to the podium for the first time. 

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Avani Lekara Wins Gold, Mona Secures Bronze

The incredible Avani Lekhara became the first Indian woman to win two Paralympic gold medal with her victory in the women's 10m air rifle (SH1) event here on Friday as compatriot Mona Agarwal claimed a bronze. 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. 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. In the qualification, defending champion Avani shot 625.8 to be placed second behind Iryna Shchetnik, who broke the Paralympic qualification record with a score of 627.5. Mona, the two-time World Cup gold medallist competing in her maiden Paralympics, shot 623.1 in the qualification and entered the final in fifth place. 

(With inputs from PTI)