Avani Lekhara delivered a stunning performance to win a historic gold medal, scripting a new paralympic record as well as equalling the current word record.
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Shooter Avani Lekhara has scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman to win a gold medal in the history of the Paralympics or even the Olympics. Avani achieved this unique distinction in the Women’s 10m Air Rifle standing SH1 event of the ongoing Tokyo Paralympics, delivering a sensational performance. The 19-year-old emerged victorious with a total score of 249.6, equalling the current world record. She further scripted a new landmark in the history of the Paralympics, following her sensational tally registered under pressure. Avani’s 249.6 marks the highest score ever recorded in shooting in the prestigious ongoing event, showcasing her brilliance when it mattered the most.
The 19-year-old has helped India record its first-ever medal in shooting in the history of the Paralympics. The nation has further won its fifth medal so far in the ongoing event in Tokyo, after Bhavina Patel, Yogesh Kathuniya, Nishad Kumar who won silver medals, and Vinod Kumar who clinched a bronze medal.
Avani who is a part of four events in Tokyo, started off in the qualification record on the first series cautiously with only two shots registered initially out of the 10 (six series of 10 shots). The 19-year-old kicked off slowly with a 9.7 and 9.8 to begin with, followed by a 10.5. While shooters can go at their own pace, it is generally not a good sign when it happens early in the first series.
However, Avani decided to speed up a bit at this point, zooming up to the top 10 based on her average score with a solid first series of 103. While the shooter shot a couple more sub-10s in the series than she would have liked, Avani managed to record high-10s as well, placing her around the top 8 as the event progressed. The 19-year-old amped up her performance in the third series with a score of 104.9, recording no sub-10 in that series of 10 shots. The scoreline marked one of the best series registered so far in the event.
A few low 10s in the fifth series left her on the eighth spot with one series left. While most of the shooters were done, two shooters including her were left vying for one spot, resulting in a thrilling finale. However, Avani managed to hold her nerve in this tense scenario, recovering superbly from a slow start to finish seventh in the field.
Avani kicked off the final with a sensational performance, ensuring a spot at the top with the event heading into the elimination stages. As the face-off progressed down to the top five, the 19-year-old showcased impressive resolve to hold a lead looking in superb shape for more than just a podium finish. Avani displayed supreme determination as the event moved on to the final stages, sealing the second spot with a handy lead.
The 19-year-old had already delivered a sensational performance till that stage, but amped it up further when it mattered the most, equalling the world record with a score of 249.6 to win a historic Paralympic gold medal. It marked a superb turnaround from the shooter who had barely qualified for the final after finishing seventh, with a total score of 621.7.
“For me, there can be no greater happiness than this. This is the result of her hard work. I hope she brings a gold medal in 50m shooting also,” said her grandfather GR Lekhara as quoted by ANI.
China’s Zhang Cuiping clinched the silver with a total score of 248.9, while Iryna Shchetnik of Ukraine won the bronze scoring 227.5.
