Avani Lekhara won India’s first medal in shooting at the Tokyo Paralympics in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 event on Monday.
Lekhara won the gold medal with a total score of 249.6 in the final, equalling the world record.
This is India’s fourth medal at the Tokyo Paralympic Games so far.
The 19-year-old also scripted history becoming the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Paralympics. Overall, she is the fourth Indian athlete to win a Paralympics gold after swimmer Murlikant Petkar (1972), javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia (2004 and 2016), and high jumper Thangavelu Mariyappan (2016).
The 10m Air Rifle shooter hails from Jaipur, Rajasthan and she trains in the JDA Shooting Range in the Pink City. She suffered Traumatic Paraplegia caused by an accident in 2012.
