Avani Likhara created history on Monday at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo. She became the first Indian shooter to win a Paralympic medal, she also became the first woman to win an individual gold medal in the country's history at the Paralympic. 19-year-old Avani Likhara made an impressive debut at Paralympic Games She created world record and setting a new Paralympic record with 249.6 in R2 women's 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 final. The teenager, who suffered spinal cord injuries in a car accident in 2012, began shooting in 2015. Initially, her father introduced her to archery and shooting, but Avani Likhara wanted to make her mark on archery after reading Abinav Bindra's autobiography. And it was a special moment for Avani Likhara on Monday, as her idol, shooter great Abinav Bindra was among the first to congratulate her on winning the historic gold medal. "Gold it is! Brilliant display by @AvaniLekhara to win India its first Paralympic gold medal in shooting. Immensely proud ! Many Congratulations on your shot at history," Bindra wrote in a social media post. Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the Lekhara gold as a "really special moment for Indian sport." "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 endeavors," PM Modi said. Several sports stars joined the bandwagon to celebrate the Golden Girl of India from the Tokyo Paralympic Games.Gold it is! Brilliant display by @AvaniLekhara to win India its first Paralympic gold medal in shooting. Immensely proud ! Many Congratulations on your shot at history ! #Praise4Para #Tokyo2020— Abhinav A. Bindra OLY (@Abhinav_Bindra) August 30, 2021Phenomenal 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.— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 30, 2021It's a Golden Day!! #GoldenGirl @AvaniLekhara wins India's First medal in @ShootingPara & it's a #GOLD!!! Avani has equalled the World Record to achieve this feat! This is unparalleled, first Indian Woman in @Olympics or @Paralympics ever to win GOLD.#Praise4Para #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/hxJoP1edCi— Paralympic India #Cheer4India #Praise4Para (@ParalympicIndia) August 30, 2021She has created history. The first ever woman from India to win a #Paralympics #Gold Wow #AvaniLekhara on the outstanding feat. Also equals the current WR to win the Women's 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 final! #Tokyo2020 #ShootingParaSport pic.twitter.com/saehkl2tJt— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) August 30, 2021Also Read- India vs England: Wounds of 2014 hurt Virat Kohli again
Sumit Antil, who has participated in able-bodied events including the Indian Grand Prix, said his goal is to qualify for both the Paralympic Games and the Olympics in 2024 and he will begin his training once he returns to India. Indian javelin thrower Sumit Antel now wants to compete against able-bodied athletes at the Paris Olympics three years from now. The 23-year-old from Sonipat shown his impressive performance on Monday when he broke his own world record not once but five times to take gold in the men's F64 javelin with a throw of 68.55 meters. Antel, who has participated in able-bodied events including the Indian Grand Prix, said his goal is to qualify for both the Paralympic Games and the Olympics in 2024 and will begin his training once he returns to the country. During my training, I have been touching the 70m-mark. And I dream of throwing between 75 to 80m and that should be enough to compete amongst the able-bodied athletes. “I wish to take part in both the Olympics and Paralympics. That’s my dream,” Antil, who lost his left leg below the knee after he was involved in a motorbike accident in 2015, said in a release issued by Paralympic Committee of India (PCI). “Once I return from Tokyo, I will be training for that for sure,” he added. If Sumit is allowed to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics, he will compete against countryman Neeraj Chopra, who recently won gold medal in men's javelin throw at the Tokyo Olympics. Interestingly, as the son of a JWO officer in the Indian Army, Antel competed against Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra in the able-bodied 3rd series of the Indian Grand Prix on March 5 at Patiala, where he finished seventh with a best throw of 66.43 meters. On Tuesday, Antel broke the previous world record of 62.88 meters, which is also set by him, five times a day. His last throw was a foul. His series read 66.95, 68.08, 65.27, 66.71, 68.55 and foul.Also Read- Shooter Avani Lekhara First Indian Woman To Win Gold At Paralympics"At the 2019 World Para-Athletics Championships, I settled for silver. I always wanted to win the gold medal," said Antel, who was inspired by Neeraj Chopra medal show. "My coach told me to be aggressive at the Paralympic Games. I'm glad I was able to finally come out with a good performance and inspire the upcoming generation." It was very hot and humid that day in Tokyo, but Antil never looked bothered. "During the pandemic, I got special permission from the Sports Authority of India to train at home. I was prepared for all conditions - hot and humid. I trained late at night and this paid off well," said Antel, who hails from Sonepat. The Haryana athlete now hopes that Paralympic gold will give him a job once he returns to India. "Currently, I am unemployed and I am doing full-time training but I hope to get a job after this. Let's see what happens when I return to India," he signed off.Also Read- US Open 2021: Naomi Osaka kicks off title defence with straight sets win over Marie Bouzkova
Avani Lekhara followed her women's 10m air rifle standing (SH1) gold with a bronze medal in women's 50m rifle 3 positions SH1 on Friday. Lekhara was the first Indian woman to win Paralympic gold and now she is the first Indian woman to win two medals in the same edition of the Games. The 19-year-old finished fourth when the field fell in the last four and finished third with a decisive shot of 10.5. She finished with a score of 445.9 while Ukraine's Iryna Schetnik, whose rifle finals world record Lekhara earlier equaled on the way to her gold in the event, finished fourth with 435.3. China's Cuiping Zhang won the gold medal with 457.9 points at the Paralympic Games, while Germany's Natasha Hiltrop scored 457.1 to win the silver medal. Lekhara ranked sixth in the final stage of the competition. She did well on the standing series during qualification and continued down the same path, gradually working her way up to the bronze medal challenge. He then swapped positions with Schetnik before taking third place in the final stages of the competition.Also Read- Shooter Avani Lekhara First Indian Woman To Win Gold At Paralympics She previously won the country's first gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in the women's 10-meter air rifle. She shot a total score of 249.6 in the final, which equaled the world record set by Shchetnik in December 2018. The 19-year-old recovered well after a slow start. The Tokyo Paralympic Games marked India's best performance in a single edition of the Games, easily surpassing the country's best previous performance of four at the 2016 Rio Games. Lekhara and javelin thrower Sumit Antel won gold, while high jumper Praveen Kumar won India sixth silver medal on Friday. Bhavina Patel, javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia, discus thrower Yogesh Kathuniya, high jumpers Mariyappan Thangavellu and Nishad Kumar are the other Indian silver medalists.Javelin thrower Sundar Singh Gurjar, high jumper Sharad Kumar and thrower Singhraj won bronze medal..@AvaniLekhara, you beauty! #IND's ace shooter claims a second medal in R8 - Women's 50m Rifle 3P SH1, winning #Bronze with a score of 445.9! 12 medals for ! #Tokyo2020 #Paralympics #ShootingParaSport pic.twitter.com/sJ51rQpky1— #Tokyo2020 for India (@Tokyo2020hi) September 3, 2021Meet The phenomenal young Legend!! With this #Bronze medal in 50M Rifle 3P SH1 just days after her Gold, @AvaniLekhara becomes the First Ever Indian woman to win 2 medals in the same Games @paralympics!!! #Praise4Para@shootingparasport #Paralympics #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/hzll4lftNp— Paralympic India #Cheer4India #Praise4Para (@ParalympicIndia) September 3, 2021Also Read- England vs India, 4th Test Day 1: Shardul Thakur breaks Ian Botham's record, hits fastest Test fifty in England
Avani shot a total of 1159 across the three stages of kneeling, prone and standing while Mona aggregated 1147.India's Avani Lekhara, centre, and Mona Agarwal, right, pose for photos after winning the gold medal and bronze medal repectively in the women's 10m air rifle (SH1) event at Paralympics 2024.Credit: PTI Photo Chateauroux: India's ace shooter Avani Lekhara entered the final of the women's 50m rifle 3 positions SH1 competition after finishing the qualification in seventh place at the ongoing Paralympics here on Tuesday.The other Indian shooter in the field, Mona Agarwal, however, could not clear the qualification hurdle and ended in the 13th position.Avani shot a total of 1159 across the three stages of kneeling, prone and standing while Mona aggregated 1147.The top eight shooters from the qualification progress to the finals.This SH1 class is designated for athletes with lower limb impairment for competition in rifle shooting events.After kneeling and prone, Avani was holding on to the eighth position and Mona was 15th. Having started the standing stage with a disappointing 92, back-to back series of 96 lifted her into the seventh position, and a 97, in the last series, further brightened her prospects of reaching the final.The 22-year-old Avani, paralysed waist-down owing to a car accident that she suffered as an 11-year-old, claimed a landmark gold medal in the women's 10m air rifle SH1 event last Friday. In the same event, Mona bagged a bronze.She successfully defended her title three years after taking the Tokyo Games by storm, becoming the first Indian woman to win two gold medals at the Paralympic Games with a record score of 249.7 in the final.However, Avani could not replicate that form in the mixed 10m air prone SH1 event on Sunday, and ended the competition in the 11th position with a total score of 632.8.Also Read: Which country will win most medals at Paris Olympics?
Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday announced cash awards of Rs 75 lakh to the gold medallists, Rs 50 lakh for the silver winners and Rs 30 lakh for the Indian athletes who have won bronze in the just-concluded Paralympic Games in Paris. Those excelling in mixed teams events, like archer Sheetal Devi, will get richer by Rs 22.5 lakh. The minister announced this during an event organised to felicitate the medallists at the mega-event.Mandaviya also pledged full support and facilities for para-athletes to aim for more medals at the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics."The country is rising in Paralympics and para sports. From 4 medals in 2016, India have won 19 medals in Tokyo and 29 in Paris with 18th place finish," Mandaviya said."We will provide all the facilities to all of our para-athletes so that we can win more medals and gold medals in 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics." India concluded their historic Paris Paralympics campaign with 29 medals, including seven gold, nine silver, and 13 bronze medals, marking the country's best performance in the competition's history.India also crossed the 50-medal mark in Paralympic Games history with their excellent performance.Swarmed by hundreds of supporters, India's Paralympic medal-winners returned to a jubilant welcome on Tuesday after securing the unprecedented haul in the French capital.The men's javelin throw F41 final in the Paris Paralympic Games earned India its 29th and final medal of the campaign, as well as the 7th gold medal, thanks to Navdeep Singh. Though the event ended on a controversial note, with Navdeep's initial silver being upgraded due to Iranian athlete's disqualification over the display of a flag, the India star was elated to put the Tokyo Paralympics ghosts to bed. After making history for India, earning first-ever medal in the F41 category of the Paralympics, Naval drew comparisons with India's Olympics star Neeraj Chopra.Neeraj had famously earned a gold medal for India in the Tokyo Olympics, before adding as silver to his trophy cabinet in the Paris Olympics. Seeing Navdeep bag a the yellow metal in Paris Para Games, his coach Naval Singh claimed that his ward's technique is even better than Neeraj's."I knew Navdeep was going to make me and India proud. He has done a lot of hard work. Navdeep ki technique Neeraj Chopra se bhi behtar hai (Navdeep's technique is even better than Neeraj Chopra's). If he were in able-bodied athletics, he would have done wonders. But we are all proud of Navdeep. This is just the start for him-he is going to break several records," Navdeep's coach told Times of India.Navdeep also lauded his coach for the work the two put together over the years, finally reaping the rewards in Paris Paralympics."My coach, Naval Singh, has worked a lot with me. He has trained me for almost seven years. He has played a big role in my career. Whatever I am today, it's because of him. He has made me an international-level javelin thrower. All the credit for my technique and foundation goes to him," Navdeep said.Also Read: Check out five significant types of swimming styles!
