India began their medal haul at the 2026 Para Asian Games held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, as the Indian athletes finished first and second in the women’s 10m air rifle category. Mona Agarwal won the gold medal after scoring 250 points, thus breaking an Asian Para Games record, while Tokyo and Paris Paralympian Avani Lekhara clinched the silver medal with 249.6 points. Mona also scored 629.1 points in the qualification round, thereby setting another Asian Para Games qualification record.
Mona Agarwal Secures Gold Medal with a New Asian Para Games Record
Indian para-shooter Mona Agarwal claimed the gold medal in the women’s 10m air rifle event with a total score of 250 points. She broke an Asian Para Games record in this event with this score, beating the previous record of 249.6 by Avani Lekhara.
Mona Agarwal had also secured the top position in the qualification round with 629.1 points, which was another new record for the Asian Para Games. This was a great improvement for Mona who had finished sixth at the 2022 Asian Para Games.
Avani Lekhara Takes Home Silver and Book LA28 Paralympics Quota
Avani Lekhara bagged the silver medal in the women’s 10m air rifle event with a score of 249.6 points.
This victory of Avani also ensured that she booked a quota place for India at the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games (LA28). As per the report, a quota place had been secured by Mona at the World Championships.
Avani is one of India’s most recognized para-athletes having bagged medals in consecutive Paralympics.
Who Is Mona Agarwal?
Mona Agarwal is an Indian para-shooter hailing from Sikar, Rajasthan, who was born on 8 November 1987. She suffers from physical impairment due to polio suffered in her early years and went on to carve out a niche in para-sports.
Before turning into a rifle shooter, she was part of para-athletics and para-powerlifting and played for women’s sitting volleyball. In 2019, she led the women’s team of Rajasthan to win the first National Sitting Volleyball Championship.
She started the rifle shooting in the December 2021 and made quick progress as mentioned below,
- 2022: National silver medal winner.
- 2023: Bronze medalist in the mixed team competition in the World Shooting Para Sport World Cup held in Osijek, Croatia.
- 2023: Gold medalist in the women’s 10m air rifle in SH1 competition at the World Cup in Changwon, South Korea.
- 2024: Won gold medal at the World Shooting Para Sport World Cup held in New Delhi with a score of 250.7 and created an Asian record.
- Paris Paralympics 2024: Won the bronze medal in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 event.
- 2024: Won the Arjuna Award for her sporting feats.
- 2026: Gold medalist at the Para Asian Games.
Who is Avani Lekhara?
Avani Lekhara is an Indian para shooter from the state of Rajasthan who had a spinal cord injury as a result of a car accident in 2012 at the age of ten. Having been inspired by her father to participate in various sports during her rehabilitation, she started shooting in 2015.
Influenced by the autobiography of the Olympic shooting champion Abhinav Bindra, A Shot at History, Avani developed an interest in rifle shooting and reached the international level of competitions.
Avani Lekhara’s main accomplishments are,
- Winning a gold medal in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 event at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in 2021;
- Winning a bronze medal in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions SH1 event at the Tokyo Paralympics;
- Winning a gold medal in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 event at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games;
- Winning a bronze medal in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions SH1 event at Paris 2024;
- Winning a silver medal in the women’s 10m air rifle event at the 2026 Para Asian Games.
She studied for five years of law at the University of Rajasthan while continuing her sporting career.
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