Shooter Avani Lekhara became the first Indian woman to win a Paralympic gold medal as she topped the podium in women’s 10m Air Rifle Standing (SH1) event at the Tokyo Paralympics on Monday.
The 19-year-old finished with a world record-equalling total of 249.6, which is also a new Paralympic record.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted after the win, saying, “Phenomenal performance @AvaniLekhara! Congratulations on winning a hard-earned and well-deserved Gold, made possible due to your industrious nature and passion towards shooting. This is truly a special moment for Indian sports. Best wishes for your future endeavours.”
Sports Minister Anurag Thajur wrote, “Amazing Avani wins🥇for 🇮🇳 ! A historic achievement as she becomes the only woman in Olympics & Paralympics to win a gold !
• Shooting in 10m AR Standing SH1 Final
• Score of 249.6 creating a Paralympic Record
• Equalling the World Record
#Praise4Para @AvaniLekhara”
Saina Nehwal wrote, “Congratulations to @AvaniLekhara for winning the gold medal 🥇 … #shooting #TokyoOlympics2020 #TokyoParalympics 👍🇮🇳… #JaiHind”
Indian athlete Deepa Malik, the first Indian woman to win a medal in Paralympic Games and won a Silver medal at the 2016 Summer Paralympics, also praised Lakhera, tweeting, “It’s a Gold! Heartiest congratulations to @Avanilekhara for winning India’s first medal in #ParaShooting. The young shooter kept her calm & won the medal by equalling World record.”
China’s Zhang Cuiping claimed silver while Ukraine’s Iryna Shchetnik won bronze. This is India’s fourth medal at the 2020 Games and fifth gold medal at the Games. After Bhavina Patel’s historic silver at Table Tennis, India’s first in the event, Lakhera also is the first shooter to claim a medal at the Games for India.
