Avani Lekhara
New Delhi, September 2: Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Avani Lekhara on Monday to congratulate her on winning gold at the Paris Paralympics.
Lekhara secured India’s first gold medal by dominating the women’s 10m air rifle final with a score of 249.7 points, setting a personal best. This achievement also marked India’s first double podium finish in the same event at the Paralympics. Mona Agarwal won the bronze medal in the same event.
During the call, PM Modi praised Lekhara’s performance, saying, “Avani, many congratulations to you. You are constantly performing well and keep working hard.” Lekhara thanked Modi for his motivational words, which helped her manage the pressure.
On Sunday, PM Modi also spoke with other medalists including Mona Agarwal, Preeti Pal, Rubina Francis, and silver medalist Manish Narwal, although Lekhara was not available for this call.
India has won nine medals so far at the Paralympics: two gold, three silver, and four bronze.
Manish Narwal earned silver in the men’s 10m air pistol SH1 with 234.9 points. Despite dropping to sixth place mid-event, Narwal finished strong.
Francis won bronze in the P2 women’s 10m air pistol SH-1 final. Preeti Pal secured two bronze medals in the 100m T35 and 200m T35 races. Nishad Kumar took silver in the men’s high jump T47 with a 2.04m leap. Yogesh Kathuniya won silver in the men’s discus throw F56. Shuttler Nitesh Kumar added a second gold to India’s tally in the men’s singles SL3 category, defeating Great Britain’s second-seeded Daniel Bethell.
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