In the Paralympics in Paris, Avani Lekhara won gold with a new Games record at the Paralympics in Paris on Friday, while Mona Agarwal pocketed the bronze in the women's 10m air rifle standing SH1 competition.
Avani improved upon her Tokyo Paralympics record as she shot 249.7 to top an eight-player final to set a new Paralympic record and better her mark of 249.6 from the Tokyo Paralympics.
Having once led in the final round, Mona finished third eventually with 228.7 and a bronze medal and opened India's medal account in the Games.
Lee Yunri of South Korea took silver with 246.8. Lee lost gold on the final shot with a score of 6.8 to allow Avani to hold on to her gold won in Tokyo.
Avani, with 625.8, finished second in the qualification round. Mona finished fifth with 623.1. The Ukrainian Iryna Shchetnik led the qualifications with the Paralympic qualification record of 627.5, taking out the previous record by the Chinese shooter Zhang Cuiping from the Tokyo Games.
The category SH1 refers to those shooters with impairments of the lower limbs-for example, amputations or paraplegia-who have no difficulty holding the gun and who can shoot in a standing or sitting position.
Tokyo 2020 saw Avani create history as the first woman from India to clinch two Paralympic medals in a single Games as she won gold in the 10m air rifle and bronze in the 50m rifle three-position in the SH1 category. Her incredible triumphs won her two prestigious awards: the Padma Shri and Khel Ratna.
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