The story of the struggle of Avni Lekhara, the first Indian woman to win gold in the Paralympics

Para shooter Avani Lekhara is the first Indian female athlete to win two medals in the same Paralympics. Avani is a 10m air rifle shooter from the SH1 category. She won a gold medal in the same category at the Tokyo Paralympics.

After hosting the Olympics 2024, the Paris Paralympics have begun. More than 100 members of the Indian contingent participated in the opening ceremony of the Paris Paralympics. This time 84 para athletes from India have participated in the Paris Paralympics 2024. Last time, Indian para athletes won 19 medals and ranked 24th in the points table of countries. This time too, there are a lot of expectations from Indian para athletes.

Avni Lekhara is also participating in the Paralympics 2024. Avni Lekhara is a shining star in the sports world of India, whose hard work, courage and dedication not only changed the direction of life but also became a source of inspiration for millions of people. Let us know the inspirational story related to her life, which teaches us that we should not give up under any circumstances.

Who is Avni Lekhara?

Para shooter Avani Lekhara is the first Indian female athlete to win two medals in a single Paralympics. Avani is a 10m air rifle shooter from the SH1 category. She won a gold medal from this category at the Tokyo Paralympics.

The SH1 category is for rifle shooters who have impairments such as amputation or paraplegia in their lower limbs and who can hold their gun without difficulty and shoot while standing or sitting.

Accident happened at the age of 12

Avani Lekhara was born on 8 November 2001 in Jaipur, Rajasthan. She belongs to a simple family where both education and sports were given equal importance. But the biggest turning point in her life came in 2012, when she suffered a serious spinal injury in a car accident, which caused her paralysis. This accident that happened to her at the age of just 12 completely changed Avani’s life, but Avani took this difficult situation as a challenge.

Sports gave a new path

After the accident, Avani chose sports to move forward in her life. Her source of inspiration was the autobiography of famous player Abhinav Bindra. She showed interest in shooting and stepped into this sport with the help of her mother and coach. Soon she started honing her skills and participated in the National Championship for the first time in 2015.

Success story from Paralympics

Avni’s hard work and determination got her a chance to participate in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, where she created history by winning the gold medal in the women’s 10m air rifle SH1 event. She became the first Indian woman to win gold in the Paralympics. Along with this, she also won the bronze medal in the 50m rifle three position SH1 event. This achievement of Avni crossed not only sports but also social and mental boundaries.

In the year 2022, Avni created history by winning gold in the Para Shooting World Cup. For excellent sports performance, Avni was awarded the Khel Ratna Award, Young Indian of the Year, Padma Shri.

Education of Avni Lekhara

Avni completed her schooling from Jaipur Kendriya Vidyalaya. After that she studied law from Rajasthan itself. The Rajasthan government has appointed Avni Lekhara as Assistant Forest Conservator out of turn for excellent sports performance.