Avani wins Second Paralympic Gold 2024. She became the first Indian to claim successive Paralympic gold medals, defending her women’s 10m air rifle (SH1) title. Mona won bronze in the same event, making it a historic double.
Avani, 22, shot a superb 249.7 to erase her own Paralympic record of 249.6 set in the Tokyo Games three years ago. In qualification, she shot a 625.8 to be placed second. Mona, the two-time World Cup gold medallist, shot a 623.1 to lie fifth.
The elimination rounds were a tense affair. By the fourth round, Avani (187.0) and Mona (186.8) were in the top two spots. The latter overtook the former in the fifth round as the pair confirmed two medals. In the end, however, Avani’s experience came in handy with Korea’s Lee Yunri taking the second spot.
In the shootout, Avani began with a 9.9 while Lee shot a 10.7. But the Korean’s nerves took over as she managed only a 6.8 in the next while Avani shot a 10.5, sealing her second gold on the trot.
The Jaipur-born shooter had a challenging run-up to the Olympics, having gone under the knife for a long-standing gallbladder issue. That procedure forced her to take a break for a month and a half.
Avani wins Second Paralympic Gold 2024.
“It mentally hampered me because I am not training months away from the Paralympics,” said Avani in a video call from Chateauroux. “Even though it’s a small surgery, a lot of core muscles weren’t working the way they were before and so I had to work on that more. My team worked heavily to get me back on track.”
Growing up, Mona faced a lot of discrimination due to her polio diagnosis. She found her calling in shooting after trying out shot put, discus, javelin and weightlifting.
“In 2010, I left home to fulfil my dreams. At that time, my family objected and said it wouldn’t accept me or let me into the house again. But now they’re all celebrating with me,” said Mona.
The 37-year-old mother of two is excited to share the triumph with her children. “When I left for practice, I had to leave my kids behind. Everyday, they would video call me and tell me how much they missed having me over. They said, ‘GPS lagake ghar vaapas aajao.’ I cried at least once everyday speaking to them,”
Manish, who won gold in the Tokyo Games in the Men’s 10m Air Pistol SH1 event, missed out on the podium top step this time. After lying sixth at the end of the first series, he slowly moved up.
“Last time when I won a medal in Tokyo, we danced and celebrated the entire night. Now, I am missing him a lot. He’s gone but his memories are with me,” he said, struggling to hold back his tears. Manish had Paralympic Committee of India president Devendra Jhajharia by his side consoling him.
