Avani Lekhara Story: Who is Avani Lekhara, who won India its first gold medal in Paris Paralympics… made this record, had a terrible accident at the age of 11

Avani Lekhara, Paris Paralympics 2024: Good news has come for India on the second day (30 August) of Paris Paralympics. Indian shooter Avani Lekhara did wonders. She won the gold medal in the women’s 10 meter air rifle (SH1) event. Mona Agarwal of India won the bronze medal in the same event. With these 2 medals, India’s medal haul in the current Paralympic Games has ended.

The special thing is that 22-year-old Avani Lakhera created a record in the Paralympics by scoring 249.7 points. Earlier, Avani, who won the gold medal in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 event at the Tokyo Paralympics, has become the first Indian woman to win two gold medals at the Paralympics. Apart from this, she became the first Indian woman to win 3 medals at the Paralympics, this is also a unique record.

Avni made a lot of headlines with her performance in the SH1 category at the Tokyo Paralympics three years ago. She won gold in 10m air rifle and bronze in 50m rifle 3 position at the Tokyo Paralympics.

Was playing Paralympics after surgery
Five months before the Paris Paralympics, 22-year-old shooter Avani Lekhara had an operation to remove gallbladder stones. Her training was also affected due to this pain. Therefore, she decided to undergo surgery in March. After this operation, she performed brilliantly in the Paralympics.

Her father Praveen Kumar Lekhara told ‘Indian Express’, ‘Gall bladder stones were troubling her since 2023. This also affected her training. She used to be troubled at the shooting range due to frequent pain around the stomach and waist. Avni wanted to give her best in the Paris Paralympics. So we decided to remove the gallbladder in March this year. It took some time for her to recover and it was a difficult period.’

Accident happened at the age of 11
She suffered from complete paraplegia after a car accident in 2012 at the age of 11. Paraplegia is a spinal cord injury that paralyzes the lower limbs. It is the result of severe damage to the spinal cord and nervous system.

After this accident, Avni’s father encouraged her to join sports. She took training in archery but made shooting her passion. She is currently studying law from Rajasthan University.

She was a student of Kendriya Vidyalaya 3 (Jaipur), where she won her first gold medal in a regional shooting match. The SH1 category in shooting includes shooters whose arms, lower torso, leg movement is affected or they have a disorder in their hands or feet. For her outstanding performance and contribution in the sport, she was awarded the Khel Ratna Award in the year 2021. Which is India’s highest sporting honor.