- Tokyo Paralympics 2020 India’s Avani Lekhara won gold in women’s 10m Air Rifle Standing (SH1) event on Monday
Shooter Avani Lekhara became the first Indian woman to win a Paralympic gold medal as she topped the podium in women’s 10m Air Rifle Standing (SH1) event at the Tokyo Paralympics today. The Indian shooter made a Paralympics record and equalled the world record with a score of 249.6 to win the gold medal. China’s Cuiping Zhang won silver with 248.9 and Ukraine’s Iryna Shchetnik took bronze with a total of 227.5. Lekhara’s was India’s first para gold in shooting at the Paralympics and she equalled Iryna Shchetnik’s world record that was set in 2018. She also became the first Indian lady to win a gold at the Paralympics.
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi congratulated Avani Lekhara on getting gold medal at Tokyo Paralympics 2020 through twitter message.
Union sports minister Anurag Thakur, Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar , Indian leading cricketer Virendra Sehwag also congratulated Avani on her amazing sports performance.
Lekhara became the fourth Indian athlete to win a gold medal at the Paralympics after swimmer Murlikant Petkar in 1972, javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia in 2004 and 2016 and high jumper Thangavelu Mariyappan in 2016.
Shooters are able to hold a gun with arms in the SH1 Rifle category. Athletes have an impairment in their legs as some athletes compete in a seated position while others compete in a standing position.
