Avani retains gold; Mona clinches bronze in historic 10m air rifle double for India

Chatearoux: The incredible Avani Lekhara became the first Indian to claim successive Paralympic gold medals with a recordshattering top finish in the women's 10m air rifle (SH1) shooting competition and had a bronze-winning Mona Agarwal for company on the podium in a historic double for the country here on Friday.

Winner of the Tokyo Paralympics gold three years back, Avani, 22, shot a superb 249.7 to erase her own Paralympic record of 249.6 set in the Japanese capital three years back.

The 37-year-old Mona, who dabbled in several sports including shotput, powerlifting and wheelchair volleyball before settling on shooting, notched up 228.7 for the thirdplace finish.

This is the first time in India's Paralympic history that two shooters have pulled off medals in a single event. Avani, who hails from Jaipur, endured a tough buildup to the Paralympics. She grappled with a host of health issues, including a gallbladder surgery, which forced her to take a recovery break of one and half months.

But the committed shooter, who is an assistant conservator of forest with the Rajasthan government, did not let health concerns distract her from her aim of Paralympic glory.

She lost quite a bit of weight following the surgery but the determination to overcome all odds was all too evident during the national camp at the Karni Singh ranges, where she worked hard on regaining her strength and mentally steeling herself for Paris.

"I am happy to win a medal for my country. I am thankful to my team, my coaches and my parents," said Avani after the match.

The SH1 category is for athletes who have movement affected in their arms, lower trunk, legs or have no limbs. The youngster, who is wheel-chair bound after a car mishap left her paralysed below the waist as an 11-yearsold, had became the first woman shooter from the country to win medals in shooting at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021.

In a nerve-wracking final, Avani was trailing her rival Lee Yunri by a few decimal points but the South Korean wilted under pressure and had an awful last shot of 6.8, while Avani kept her cool to shoot a superb 10.5 to clinch the gold with a Paralympics record.

The success will come as a huge boost for Avani ahead of the 50m rifle 3-positions event, where she is also a firm favourite for a medal after winning bronze in the previous edition of the Games in Tokyo.

Earlier, Avani came up with another sterling performance by qualifying for the final in second place, while Mona, who too has been in sublime form in the last one year, also made it to the eight-shooter summit clach in fifth place. 

While Avani shot a 625.8 to be placed second behind Ukraine Iryna Shchetnik, who broke the Paralympic Qualification Record with a score of 627.5, Mona, the two-time World Cup gold medallist, shot 623.1. Avani had credited the "positive environment" in the national camp for helping her overcome her fitness worries.

"I think we have been in a very positive environment throughout. We are just focussing on the process rather than the outcome. "There, obviously, will be expectations but those expectations only motivate me and inspire me more to give my best."

Manish Narwal claims silver in air pistol event at Paralympics

Chatearoux Tokyo Games gold medallist shooter Manish Narwal displayed pluck and courage in ample measure before settling for a silver medal in the men's 10m air pistol (SH1) final at the Paralympic Games here on Friday.

The 22-year-old Manish, winner of 50m pistol gold in Tokyo three years ago, looked determined to do an encore in Paris, leapfrogging from No.5 to the top of the heap.

But just when the gold looked well within his grasp, Manish came up with a series of poor shots in the '9s', which saw him drop to second place and finally settle for silver with a score of 234.9.

Veteran South Korean marksman, 37-yearold Jo Jeongdu upped his game just when it mattered to clinch gold with a score of 237.4, missing the Paralympic Games record by mere decimals.

Manish , who comes from a family of shooters and is the recipient of the highest sporting honour the Khel Ratna, had qualified for the final in fifth place. Manish had shot a total of 565 to enter the eightman final.

The other Indian in the event, 17-year-old Rudransh Kahndelwal missed the final, finishing ninth with a total score of 561. In SH1 class, athletes are able to hold their gun without difficulty and shoot from a standing or sitting position in a wheelchair or chair.

Manish's father Dilbag told PTI on Friday that his son desperately wanted to win the 10m air pistol medal in Paris. "Yes, he did win the 50m pistol gold in Tokyo but his aim was to win a medal in 10m air pistol as well. He topped the qualification in Tokyo," he said.

Preethi wins bronze in T35 100m for India's first track medal at Paralympics

Preethi Pal won India's first athletics medal in a Paralympics track event as she clinched a bronze in the women's T35 100m competition with a personal best time of 14.21 seconds at the Paris Games on Friday. All the athletics medals India had won since the 1984 edition of the Paralympics have come from field events.

The 23-year-old Preethi, a farmer's daughter from Muzaffar nagar in UP, opened India's athletics medal account on the second day of competitions. Preethi had come to Paris after winning a bronze in the same event at the World Para Athletics Championships in May.

China's Zhou Xia (13.58) and Guo Qianqian (13.74) won the gold and silver respectively. "More glory for India as Preeti Pal wins a Bronze medal in the 100m T35 event at the #Paralympics2024. Congratulations to her. This success will certainly motivate budding athletes." (PTI)