Trailblazing shooter Avani Lekhara on September 3 became the primary Indian woman to win two Paralympic medals by claiming the 50 m rifle 3 Position SH1 bronze to feature to an unprecedented gold she had won earlier within the ongoing Games here The 19-year-old Lekhara qualified second for the event with a score of 1176, including 51 inner 10s In the fiercely contested finals, Lekhara totalled 445.9 to end before Ukraine’s Iryna Shchetnik, who let slip her grip on the medal spot with a poor third shot of 9.9 within the elimination.
Lekhara had become the primary Indian woman to win a Paralympic gold by claiming the highest honours within the 10 m air gun standing SH1 event The Jaipur-based shooter, who sustained medulla spinalis injuries during a car accident in 2012, had fired a record equalling total of 249.6, which was also a replacement Paralympic record.
Joginder Singh Sodhi is that the only other Indian to win multiple medals within the same edition of the Games. Sodhi won a silver and two bronze medals within the 1984 Paralympics. His silver came in field event , while the 2 bronze medals were won in discus and javelin throw events.
The gold within the September 3 event was claimed by China’s Zhang Cuiping with a replacement Games record of 457.9, while German Natascha Hiltrop took the silver with a 457.1 within the final.
Athletes in SH1 Rifle have an impairment in their legs, including amputations and paraplegia. Some athletes compete during a seated position, while others compete during a standing position Lekhara started shooting on the insistence of her father in 2015 at a city shooting gallery .
“She was angry at her condition and hardly had a desire to speak to anyone. For a change, I wont to take her to JDA shooting gallery in Jagatpura, Jaipur where she developed interest in shooting,” her father Praveen Lekhara had told PTI after the trophy she won in 10m air gun competition.
The youngster was also inspired by Olympic gold-medallist rifle shooter Abhinav Bindra after reading his autobiography, which was a present from her father.
A student of law, Lekhara made her debut for India in 2017 World Cup in Al Ain, UAE In the men’s event 50m Rifle 3P, Deepak did not qualify for the finals after finishing 18th with a score of 1114 With Lekhara’s bronze, India’s medal tally has risen to 12.
The country has won two gold, six silver and 4 bronze medals thus far , an unprecedented and truly remarkable performance as long as its combined haul for all previous Games stood at 12 before this.
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