Nagoya: India created history by winning the first gold medal at the Asian Para Games, which began in Japan for athletes with disabilities. The Indian women’s shooting contingent claimed both the first gold and the first silver medals at the multi-sport event featuring 45 countries.
Rajasthan’s 39-year-old Mona Agarwal clinched the gold medal by finishing first in the women’s individual 10m air rifle SH1 event. She became the second Indian to win gold in this event in Asian Para Games history. At the 2022 Asian Para Games, India’s Avani Lekhara had won the gold medal.
Avani Lekhara Wins Silver Medal
Mona, who has had a physical disability caused by polio since childhood, is a mother of two. She secured the title on Monday with a score of 250.0, setting a new Asian Para Games record in the category.
Avani Lekhara finished second in the same event with a score of 249.6 to claim the silver medal. India thus swept the first two medals of the competition. It was the first time in Asian Para Games history that Indian shooters had won both the gold and silver medals in an individual shooting event.
The opening ceremony of the Games was held on Sunday, and on the very first day of competition on Monday, the two Indian women shooters stole the show with their impressive performances. South Korea’s Yunri Lee won the bronze medal.
Mona Misses World Record by a Narrow Margin in Qualification
Mona had also set a record in the qualification round before the final, scoring 629.1 points. She broke the previous record held by China’s Zhang Quiping.
Had Mona scored another 0.4 points, she would have broken the world record of 629.4. The world record is jointly held by India’s Avani Lekhara and Slovakia’s Veronika.
Qualified for the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics
Mona Agarwal and Avani Lekhara have also qualified for the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics, adding another major achievement to their remarkable performances in Japan.
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