Tokyo Paralympics: Shooter Avani Lekhara, first Indian woman to win gold
- Aug 30, 2021,
- Updated Aug 30, 2021, 12:21 AM IST
TOKYO: Shooter Avani Lekhara has become the first Indian woman to win a Paralympic gold medal today at the Tokyo Paralympics.
She topped the podium in the women's 10m Air Rifle Standing (SH1) event.
As per the reports, the 19-year-old Avani created a Paralympics record and equaled the world record with a score of 249.6 to win the gold medal.
However, China's Cuiping Zhang won silver with 248.9 and Ukraine's Iryna Shchetnik took bronze with a total of 227.5.
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Reports also suggest that Avani became the fourth Indian athlete to win a gold medal at the Paralympics after swimmer Murlikant Petkar in 1972, javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia in 2004 and 2016, and high jumper Thangavelu Mariyappan in 2016.
Congratulating Avani Lekhara on her achievement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter and wrote, "Phenomenal performance ">@AvaniLekhara ! Congratulations on winning a hard-earned and well-deserved Gold, made possible due to your industrious nature and passion for shooting. This is truly a special moment for Indian sports. Best wishes for your future endeavours."