Nagoya: India opened its medal account at the Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya as rifle shooters Mona Agarwal and Avani Lekhara clinched a 1-2 finish in the women’s 10m air rifle SH1 event.
Mona claimed gold with a Games record, scoring 250 points to finish ahead of compatriot Avani, while South Korea’s Yunri Lee took bronze. Mona, who finished sixth at the 2022 Asian Para Games, edged Avani by just 0.1 point, leading 239.2 to 239.1 before the final shots in a closely contested finish. Avani had finished second in the qualification round behind Mona, who set an Asian Para Games qualification record with a score of 629.1.
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Meet the medallists
Mona Agarwal
The 38-year-old is a para-shooter from Sikar, Rajasthan, who contracted polio at nine months of age, affecting both her lower limbs. She took up shooting in 2021 after competing in para-athletics and para-powerlifting and playing sitting volleyball. She quickly rose through the ranks, winning gold at the 2023 World Shooting Para Sport World Cup in Changwon. Her biggest achievement came at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, where she won bronze in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 event. The mother of two also received the Arjuna Award in 2024.
Avani Lekhara
Avani sustained a spinal cord injury in a car accident in 2012 aged 10, leaving her paralysed from the waist down. Inspired by Abhinav Bindra’s autobiography, A Shot at History, she took up shooting in 2015. At the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, she won gold in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 event, equaling the Paralympic record, and bronze in the 50m rifle 3 positions SH1 event. She defended her 10m air rifle title at Paris 2024, becoming the first Indian woman to win back-to-back Paralympic gold medals.
