Avani Lekhara is first Indian woman to win two Paralympic gold medals

AVANI Lekhara has become the first Indian woman to win two Paralympic gold medals, securing victory in the women's 10m air rifle (SH1) event in Chateauroux, France on Friday.

Her compatriot, Mona Agarwal, also performed strongly, earning a bronze medal.

Avani, who previously won gold at the Tokyo Paralympics, scored 249.7 to surpass her own record of 249.6 set in Tokyo.

Mona, who began her shooting career in 2022, scored 228.7 to claim the bronze.

At the age of 11, Avani was left paralysed below the waist following a car accident.

She made history at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021 as the first woman shooter from India to win medals in shooting.

The SH1 shooting category includes athletes with impairments in their arms, lower trunk, legs, or those missing limbs.

During the qualification round, Avani, the defending champion, shot 625.8, placing second behind Iryna Shchetnik, who set a new Paralympic qualification record with a score of 627.5.

Competing in her first Paralympics, Mona, a two-time World Cup gold medallist, shot 623.1 in the qualification round, securing fifth place to enter the final.

In archery, India's Sheetal Devi finished second in the women's individual compound open ranking round, advancing directly to the round of 16 at the Paris Paralympics. The 17-year-old, who shoots with her legs due to being born without arms, scored 703 points, just one point behind Turkey's Oznur Girdi Cure, who set a new world record with 704 points.

Devi's score also surpassed the previous world record of 698 set by Phoebe Pine Paterson earlier this month. In the 72-arrow contest, Devi shot 59 10s and 24 Xs, while her Turkish opponent scored 56 10s and 29 Xs.

The top-four finishers, including Devi, received byes from the round of 32 competition and will compete in the round of 16 on Saturday. Devi will face the winner of the match between Mariana Zuniga of Chile and Choi Na Mi of Korea. Zuniga had previously won silver in the women's individual compound open at the Tokyo Paralympics.

Another Indian competitor, Sarita, finished ninth with a score of 682 and will face Abdul Jalil Nur Jannaton of Malaysia in the round of 32 on Friday.

Devi gained prominence during the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China, where she became the first Indian woman to win two gold medals in a single edition of the Games. She also won a silver medal, adding to her achievements.