Tokyo Paralympics: India's Avani Lekhara wins Gold Medal

India's Avani Lekhara celebrates on the podium after a clinching a gold medal in the Women's 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 event at the Tokyo Paralympics. (Image: REUTERS/Issei Kato)

India bagged its first gold medal in the Tokyo Paralympic Games on August 30 in the women's 10m air rifle standing SH1 event. Avani Lekhara won the medal with a total score of 249.6 in the final, equalling the world record.

Lekhara became the first Indian woman to win a gold at the Paralympics, and the fourth to win a medal at the ongoing Tokyo Paralympics. The 19 year-old from Jaipur is also the first shooter to win a medal at the Paralympic Games.

Lekhara qualified for the final finishing 7th in the qualification round with a total score of 621.7. Avani staged a good recovery after a slow start to advance to the finals of the showpiece event.

Lekhara has been dependent on a wheelchair since 2012, after injuring her spinal cord in a car accident.

At the ongoing Tokyo Paralympics, India's Bhavinaben Patel and Nishad Kumar had on August 29 won a silver in the women's singles table tennis class 4 and men's T47 high jump events respectively. Indian discus thrower Vinod Kumar won a bronze in the men's F52 event of the Paralympics

Only three other Indians have won a gold at the Paralympics - swimmer Murlikant Petkar in 1972, javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia 2004 and 2016 and high jumper Thangavelu Mariyappan in 2016.