Paralympic gold medalist Avani Lekhara says success of para athletes will drive inclusivity in India

Paralympics 2024: Avani Lekhara with her coach Suma Shirur.

The Indian contingent in the ongoing Paris Paralympics has already surpassed the medal tally of what the country scored during Olympics 2024, with para athletes, like 22-year-old Avani Lekhara, winning India's first gold medal this year. She won the gold in shooting.

India so far has won seven medals, including one gold, two silver and four bronze. The Games commenced on August 28 and will conclude on September 8.

After her gold medal win, Lekhara, in an interview with Moneycontrol, said that it is the success of the para athletes in such sporting events that will drive the talks of inclusivity in India.

Inclusivity in India

"I want to spread awareness about people with disabilities and the community I belong to through the social media, and to do something about bringing more inclusivity in India. While I am not very active on social media, whatever I do, I try to promote para sports," said Lekhara.

In the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021, Lekhara had a double podium finish in the same event, a feat unmatched by an Indian woman athlete. With the gold medal win in Paris, she has now become a two-time gold medalist.

Her coach Suma Shirur, who was also the head coach of India's shooting team, reiterated Lekhara's thoughts.

"Forget about athletes, I think India needs to learn to be more inclusive. In terms of having wheelchair-accessible public places and having public transport where you have this system, where athletes and people who use wheelchairs, can actually use it. India has a very long way to go. But with Avani's performance, it is really creating a lot of awareness in this area," said Shirur.

Brand attention

Para athletics and the achievements of para athletes, especially after the record medal haul in Tokyo with 19 medals, caught the attention of brands, Satyanarayana, head coach of the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), had pointed out before the start of the Games.

This time, brands like Indian Oil Corporation, Shrachi Group, Forza Medi India Private Ltd and Krafton India backed the para athletes bound for Paris.

While Shirur said that there is more awareness among brands, there is still a long way to go. "How many ranges in our country are wheelchair-accessible? So, before we even get into brand endorsements, I think we have to start working with the basic infrastructure and have more and more people using a wheelchair have accessibility to them," she said.

Story of grit

From brands to sports enthusiasts, many are taking note of the success of para athletes, like that of Lekhara, as well as their story of grit and determination.

Lekhara was left wheelchair-bound after a life-altering road accident in  2012. Inspired by Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra, Lekhara, with the support of her family, especially her father, made a mark in the field of shooting.

The 22-year old made her debut in the Tokyo Olympics and won her first gold medal.

"The journey to Tokyo and Paris (Paralympics) have been a lot different. Tokyo was my first Paralympic Games. So, the mindset was all about getting the spirit going and enjoying the Games. But that medal will always be special for me because it was my first gold medal. In Paris, it was a little difficult because coming back as a defending gold medallist, there were a lot of expectations," the para athlete said.

From Tokyo to Paris

Already a medallist in Tokyo, the preparation for Paris was a little bit more, said Shirur, who added that the biggest challenge was when Lekhara went for surgery before the Games.

"The one-and-a-half-month break was a challenge. She lost like five kilos after her surgery. A lot of work was done in terms of preparing the mind because of the surgery and also due to the pressure of defending her title. When you've done it once, you know you can do it again. So, that's a different kind of pressure. I think she has been able to stand up to the demands. And she has been able to deliver under a huge amount of pressure. Facing the pressure with courage and being able to stay in the process is what really made her a champion today," the coach said.

Apart from her surgery, Lekhara also had her graduation exams which she had to manage with her training for the Games.

"I did a lot of training for Tokyo. Because there was COVID, I had one extra year back then. We also did a lot of online training sessions. This time, it was all offline and it was not that much because I had a surgery. So, I was on a break for a month and a half. Before that, I had my exams. Everything now is offline. So, I had to manage all the things together," Lekhara said.

Along with training for 5-6 hours a day, the para athlete said that she spent a lot of time on training her mind to keep the noise and to focus only on the target.

Shirur said that Lekhara is a much more evolved athlete in Paris.

"Before Tokyo, Avani was very young, in her teens. She was finding confidence and trying to get her hands on the (shooting) sport. That journey (Tokyo Paralympics) was a little more about self-discovery. Now, she has evolved as a much more confident person who has a command on the sport. Technically, a more evolved player. But one thing that really stands out throughout her journey is her will power and her burning desire to really come on top," Shirur said.

Lekhara's next focus is on her upcoming match in the women’s 50m rifle event on September 2.