NEW DELHI: While the curtains have fallen, the monumental feat of 22-year-old Avani Lekhara will go down in history, writing a milestone in the success saga as the first Indian woman to win three individual medals at the Paralympics. The Jaipur-born para-shooter won the most recent competition in women's 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 Finals, which was held at Chateauroux - Final Range, Paris, on Friday, August 30. Lekhara won gold with a fantastic score of 249.7, a new Paralympic record, bettering her earlier one of 249.6 in Tokyo three years ago.
With this victory, Lekhara joined the elite club of Indian Paralympians in the form of Joginder Singh Bedi and Devendra Jhajharia, who also have three Paralympic medals, an achievement by very few. Lekhara took gold as her compatriot Mona Agarwal furthered India's medal tally, scoring 228.7, winning bronze. The silver medal was won by South Korea's Yunri Lee, who scored 246.8 while the current world record holder, Ukraine's Iryna Schetnik with 252 had to contend herself without a place in the top three.
The road to this historic moment in Tokyo has not been easy for Lekhara: born in 2001 in Jaipur, an accident at the age of 11 rendered her paraplegic. But that indomitable spirit made her embrace para-shooting, as it were a chance, on a summer vacation. Further encouraged by her father and an inner urge to perform, Lekhara shifted gears from archery to shooting, a move that would ultimately define her future.
Inspired by Abhinav Bindra, India's first individual Olympic gold medallist, Lekhara took up competitive shooting in 2015. Soon, her skills and dedication became apparent as she started breaking records and amassing medals at national and international competitions. Her breakthrough came with a gold at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, where she became the first woman from India to achieve that feat in para-shooting.
Recognition factors came for Lekhara's performances: a Padma Shri in 2021, three World Cup medals, and an Asian Para Games medal. The determination and grit do not let this bright star dim; instead, it acts like a beacon to keep enlightening millions around her that nothing is impossible to achieve.
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