Avani Lekhara Becomes First Indian Woman To Win Gold At Paralympics

Clinching India’s first gold in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, Avani Lekhara has made our country proud by winning the women's 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 event, and being the first woman to do so. The 19-year-old became the first woman ever from India to win a Paralympics gold medal, finishing with 249.6 points setting a new Paralympic Record. With that, Lekhara equalled the world record set by Ukraine's Iryna Shchetnik in December 2018.

China's Cuiping Zhang came in second, winning silver with 248.9 points; Ukraine's Iryna Shchetnik took home bronze.

Lekhara began the final at a very good pace, consistently scoring above 10 points. In a moment of triumph, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to congratulate the gold medallist. He wrote, “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 endeavours.”