Who is Avani Lekhara? First Indian Woman to Win Two Gold Medals at Paralympics, Breaks Paralympic Record

Avani also known as Avani Lekhara is a rising Indian Paralympian rifle shooter, born on 8th November 2001 in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Due to her training and her success in shooting, she also gave a historic performance at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics by winning gold in the women’s 10m air rifle standing event SH1 and a bronze in the 50m rifle 3 positions.

Early Life and Background

Avani’s life changed when she was eleven years old; she got into a car accident, and due to her injuries suffered from complete paraplegia. This life-altering change did not affect her and with the support of her father, she took to sports. She began as a sports enthusiast in archery but, she always wanted to play as a shooter after being inspired by Abhinav Bindra, an Indian Olympic medalist. She entered her shooting career in the year 2015 and within a few years of her career, she was able to prove her potential and flair in national as well as international shootings.

Shooting Career

Avani's shooting career is marked by numerous accolades:

• 2015: Started training and won her first gold medal at the National Shooting Championship.
• 2017: Secured a silver medal at the AI Ain Shooting World Cup and a bronze at the WSPS World Cup in Bangkok.
• 2018: Achieved remarkable success at the World Shooting Para Sport World Cup, winning three gold medals.
• 2020 Tokyo Paralympics: Won gold in the 10m air rifle standing with a score of 249.6, setting a Paralympic record and tying the world record. She also won a bronze in the 50m rifle three positions, making her the first Indian female Paralympian to win multiple medals at the same Games.
• Paris 2024 Paralympics: She successfully defended her title in the women's 10m air rifle standing SH1 event, winning her second gold medal with a new Paralympic record score of 249.7. This achievement makes her the second Indian Paralympian, after Devendra Jhajharia, to win two gold medals.

Education and Personal Life

Avani is currently pursuing a law degree at the University of Rajasthan. She completed her schooling at Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 3 in Jaipur, where she excelled academically. Beyond her athletic pursuits, she enjoys reading and travelling.

Awards and Recognition

Avani's contributions to sports have been widely recognized:

• 2021: Khel Ratna Award, India's highest sporting honor.
• 2022: Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian awards.
• Multiple accolades including the Young Indian of the Year by GQ India and the Best Female Debut at the Paralympic Awards.

She set a new Paralympic record with a score of 249.7, becoming the first Indian woman to win two individual gold medals at the Paralympics. With this achievement, Avani joined Devendra Jhajharia as the only Indian Paralympian to win multiple individual gold medals.

Shooting has always been a learning process for Avani where she has concentrated more on the process and not the outcome and this has not changed even as she prepared for the Paralympics.

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