Paralympics 2021: India's shooting campaign ends with impressive five medal-haul

No Indian shooter could qualify for the mixed 50m rifle prone SH1 finals at the Paralympics. India’s newly-discovered golden girl Avani Lekhara finished at 28 in qualification. With this, India ended its historic campaign that yielded an unexpected five medals in the discipline.

Siddhartha Babu was the closest to finishing in the top eight but missed the mark by a whisker. He finished in ninth position with a score of 617.2, which was just 0.2 behind China’s Chao Dong (617.4)

Avani Lekhara, who won gold at the 10m air rifle and bronze at the 50m rifle 3 positions, scored 612 points. However, there is no complaint from the 19-year-old who made her debut at the Paralympics in Tokyo. She became the first Indian woman to claim a shooting medal and a Games gold medal.

Congratulations #AvaniLekhara for hitting the bullseye 🎯and creating history by becoming the first Indian woman to win a #Paralympics gold medal 🏅What a debut! #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/zBzCWGFm7X

— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) August 30, 2021

Deepak, the third Indian in the fray, finished third from bottom at 46th after shooting a score of 602.2.

Athletes in SH1 Rifle have an impairment in their legs, for example amputations or paraplegia. The mixed event features shooters of both genders.

India’s Paralympics medal tally in shooting

India’s shooting campaign thus ended with an impressive five medal haul, including two golds. In addition to Lekhara, 19-year-old Manish Narwal also struck gold in the men’s 50m pistol SH1 event at the Paralympics.

Singhraj Adana also claimed two medals in the competition, a silver in 50m pistol SH1 and a bronze 10m air pistol SH1 event.

#Praise4Para #Cheer4India Many congratulations to @AvaniLekhara for this wonderful feat. You are an inspiration for the youth of India . 👏👏 #IndiaOnTheRise 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/2EsqOSbpEQ

— YAS Ministry (@YASMinistry) September 3, 2021

India’s total medal tally is 19 which includes five golds, eight silvers and six bronzes. The latest to win a medal is Krishna Nagar in Men’s Singles SH6 badminton final.

Earlier, Gautam Budh Nagar (Noida) district magistrate Suyash Yathiraj clinched a silver medal. He became the first Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer to win a medal at the Paralympics. The 38-year-old was defeated by two-time champion Lucas Mazur of France.