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Avani Lekhara
Born on November 8, 2001, in Rajasthan's Jaipur, Avani Lekhara is an Indian shooter who won a gold medal in R2-Women's 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 at the Tokyo Paralympics Games. Lekhara is the first Indian to win a medal in the shooting with a total score of 249.6 in the final and also equalled the world record. She also clinched a broze medal at the R8 Women's 50m Rifle 3P SH1 event in the Tokyo Paralympics.
She is the fourth Indian athlete to bag a medal in the Tokyo Paralympics Games and currently holds fifth position in Women's 10m Air Rifle standing SH1. She developed an interest in shooting at the age of fifteen and started practicing at the Jagatpura Sports Complex in Jaipur.
Though she suffered spinal cord injuries in a car accident in 2012, she did not give up and went on to script history and brought laurels to India. She has completed her education from University of Rajasthan and is a graduate in law.
Initially she practiced shooting and archery and drew inspiration from another ace shooter Abhinav Bindra and was graced with the title 'Most Promising Paralympic Athlete' by the Go Sports Foundation in India in 2019. She sealed a quota for India at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics Games in R2 10m air rifle women SH1 event with her dominant performance.
She gathered public attention after she participated in 2018 Asian Para Games R2- Women's 10M Air Rifle Standing, R3 - Mixed 10M Air Rifle Prone, R6 - Mixed 50M Rifle Prone and R8 - Women's 50M Rifle 3 Position (SH1 Events) and cruised to glory.
The name of her official Twitter handle is @AvaniLekhara and she is also active on Instagram under the username Avani Lekhara.
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Exclusive: Avani Lekhara On Para-Athletics In India & Her Training For Upcoming World Cup
In this India Today special report, star para-shooter Avani Lekhara discusses her recent ramp walk in Delhi, secret preparations for the 2026 season, and managing the pressure of expectations. On the nervousness that comes with being a top athlete, Lekhara stated, 'second Paralympics was much tougher than the first one and I think it will be same for him as well and we were going with a lot of expectations and there was nervousness, there was jitters...'. She reveals she is training for an upcoming World Cup in the UAE this month. Lekhara also details a significant overhaul of her equipment, including a new rifle and shooting wheelchair, as she prepares for the 2026 Asian Para Games and World Para Shooting Championships. She shares her perspective on the growth of para-sports in India, following the country's record medal haul at the recent World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi.
Harper's Bazaar Women of the Year Awards 2024 celebrate extraordinary women
India Today honours remarkable women with the Harper's Bazaar Women of the Year titles, recognising their achievements and contributions.
Conclave 2024: Navdeep, Avani, Sumit on inspiring journey to Paralympics glory
India’s Paralympic medallists—Avani Lekhara, Navdeep Singh, and Sumit Antil—shared their inspirational journeys to glory during India Today’s Mumbai Conclave 2024. They opened up about overcoming the challenges posed by their disabilities to achieve remarkable success on the world stage.
Thank you for your support: PM Modi receives signed shirt from Paralympic heroes
Paris Paralympics: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was gifted a special shirt by India's Paralympic heroes, who thanked him for the government's support. PM Modi hosted India's champion para-athletes at his residence in New Delhi on September 12. India won a record-breaking tally of 29 medals at the Paralympics.
