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Historic Wins! Avani Lekhara Bags Gold, Mona Agarwal Clinches Bronze In 10m Air Rifle

Avani Lekhara won the gold medal and Mona Agarwal won bronze in the Women's 10m air rifle shooting SH1 event at the Paris Paralympics. Lekhara is the only Indian woman with three Paralympic medals.

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Tanya Savkoor
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avani lekhara mona agarwal

Avani Lekhara won the gold medal and Mona Agarwal won bronze in the Women's 10m air rifle shooting standing SH1 event at the Paris Paralympics 2024 on August 30. With this, they made history as the first time multiple Indian para-shooters had made it to the Paralympics podium, marking an unforgettable moment in sporting history. Lekhara scored 249.7 points to finish first, Agarwal scored 228.7 points, while South Korea's Lee Yunri took the silver medal with 246.8 points.

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Women's 10 Air Rifle Para Shooting SH1

India celebrated many historic moments at the Paris Paralympics rifle shooting event as for the first time, two athletes had made it to the podium. The 36-year-old Mona Agarwal achieved glory in her debut appearance at the Paralympics as she clinched the bronze medal for India. 

Avani Lekhara clinched her career's third Paralympic medal-- her second gold-- making the 22-year-old India's most decorated female Paralympian. Lekhara's win was more special as she won her first gold medal in 2020 Tokyo on August 30, exactly three years ago on the same day.

The nail-biting tournament saw tough competition in the last round between Avani Lekhara and Lee Yunri as the Indian shooter shot a 9.9 in her penultimate shot, dropping her to second place for a moment. However, she grasped back her focus and targeted a 10.5 in the final round.

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Lekhara managed to surpass her own Paralympic record. Yunri temporarily enjoyed the top spot until she delivered a 6.8 in the last round to settle for second place. With Lekhara and Agarwal's wins, India beams with pride to see the nation's para-athletes making a mark on the global stage.

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Team India para athletes in India Avani Lekhara Paris Paralympics Mona agarwal
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