'Gold stays with the bold!' How sports fraternity reacted to Avani Lekhara's historic medal at Paris Paralympics 2024

Published at :August 30, 2024 at 10:56 PM

Modified at :August 30, 2024 at 10:56 PM

Avani Lekhara became first Indian woman to win two gold medals at Paralympics.

Avani Lekhara, a 22-year-old Indian para shooter, made history at the Paris Paralympics 2024 on Friday by successfully defending her women’s 10m air rifle shooting standing SH1 title. This achievement marks her as the first Indian woman to win two gold medals in Paralympic history.

Lekhara’s performance was nothing short of exceptional. She scored 249.7 in the final, setting a new Paralympic record and surpassing her own previous record of 249.6 set at the Tokyo 2020 Games. Her victory came ahead of Republic of Korea’s Lee Yunri, who claimed silver with a score of 246.8.

Avani Lekhara wins India's first GOLD at Paris Paralympics 🇮🇳🥇Lekhara sets new paralympic record of 249.7 in women's 10m air rifle standing SH1 💪It is her third Paralympic medal 🔥💥#Paralympics2024 #ParisParalympics #parashooting pic.twitter.com/gffvak0Umg
— Khel Now (@KhelNow) August 30, 2024

Adding to India’s success, Mona Agarwal secured the bronze medal in the same event with a final score of 228.7. This double podium finish is a first for India at the Paralympic Games, highlighting the country’s growing strength in para sports.

These medals hold significant importance as they are India’s first at the Paris 2024 Paralympics. Lekhara’s achievement places her alongside javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia as the only Indians to win two gold medals at the Paralympics. Her victory also brings India’s total Paralympic gold medal count to 10.

Also Read: List of medallist for India at Summer Paralympics

The SH1 rifle shooting class, in which Lekhara and Agarwal compete, is designed for athletes who can support the weight of the rifle themselves despite having impairments in their legs, such as amputation or paraplegia.

The sports fraternity in India has reacted with enthusiasm to Avani Lekhara’s gold medal win, with cricket legends like Sachin Tendulkar, India’s double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker, and prominent sports handles rejoicing at the golden girl’s breakthrough achievement.

Here are all the reactions

Gold in Tokyo, Gold in Paris! 🎯 @AvaniLekhara, winning back-to-back 🏅 medals in 10m air rifle shooting is nothing short of extraordinary. Your historic achievement as the first Indian woman to win three Paralympic medals only cements your legacy as a true champion.Huge… pic.twitter.com/oRoigJL6c1
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) August 30, 2024

A big congratulations to Avani Lekhara on her incredible Gold medal achievement and to Mona Agarwal for clinching the Bronze at the Paris Paralympics! Your achievements are a testament to perseverance and talent. Well done! 🎉🏅👏 #Paralympics #Paris2024 #WomenInSports… pic.twitter.com/XKKkZtDZsV
— Manu Bhaker🇮🇳 (@realmanubhaker) August 30, 2024

A podium to always cherish for! #ParaShooting Women’s 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 #Paralympic2024 – Gold 🥇for @AvaniLekhara – Bronze 🥉 for Mona Agarwal The feeling of seeing Tiranga go up& hearing the Jana Gana Mana 🇮🇳 #Goosebumps & tears! #WomenInSport #India pic.twitter.com/xUrAcofC0R
— Neha Aggarwal Sharma OLY (@nehaaggarwal) August 30, 2024

GOLD stays with the BOLD! 🌟Avani Lekhara shoots her way to the 🔝 in the Women’s 10M Air Rifle SH1 event and retains her #TokyoParalympics🥇medal. Truly #MadeOfBold 🫡#PlayBold #TeamIndia #Paralympics #Paris2024 #Cheer4Bharat pic.twitter.com/Sisim5nxHE
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) August 30, 2024

Congratulations to Avani Lekhara on clinching #Gold 🥇 in the R2 women's 10 meter Air Rifle SH1 at Paris Para olympic 2024. 💐She is the first Indian woman to clinch back to back gold in #Paralympics.#Paralympics #ParisParalympics2024 https://t.co/LrVSav3qcY
— Odisha Sports (@sports_odisha) August 30, 2024

Avani Lekhara wins India's first GOLD at Paris Paralympics 🇮🇳🥇Lekhara sets new paralympic record of 249.7 in women's 10m air rifle standing SH1 💪It is her third Paralympic medal 🔥💥#Paralympics2024 #ParisParalympics #parashooting pic.twitter.com/gffvak0Umg
— Khel Now (@KhelNow) August 30, 2024

Congratulations to Avani Lekhara for winning gold and Mona Agarwal for bagging bronze in the Women's 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 event! You’ve made India proud! 🥇🥉🇮🇳#HarHarKashi #Kashi #India #ParalympicGamesParis2024 #Gold #Bronze #Paris2024 #AvaniLekhara #MonaAgarwal pic.twitter.com/uAWdSDLIsM
— Inter Kashi (@InterKashi) August 30, 2024

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