Latest news with #Lekhara
Indian Express
01-06-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Mona Agarwal defies a strong field to win silver at the Para Shooting World Cup
On Saturday morning, as 37-year-old Paris Paralympics bronze medallist Mona Agarwal won the silver medal in the women's R2 10m air rifle standing SH1 final at the WSPS World Cup in Changwon, Korea, the Rajasthan shooter was congratulated by Tokyo and Paris Paralympics champion and compatriot Avani Lekhara. While Lekhara missed the medal by a solitary 0.1 point, finishing fourth in the eight-shooter final, it was Agarwal's fourth medal in a WSPS World Cup and first international medal since the Paris Paralympics. 'Avani has been the torch bearer of World Para shooting, and she has shown that with the two Paralympic titles. It's just that it was not her day today as she narrowly missed the medal. I have always believed that our competition is against ourselves in the shooting range. I had been trying consistently here in the final to win the medal for India,' shared Agarwal while speaking with The Indian Express from Changwon, South Korea. Hailing from Sikar, Rajasthan, Agarwal was affected by polio at a young age of nine months. With her father running a hardware shop in Sikar, Agarwal would initially dabble in athletics, competing in events like discus throw, shot put, and javelin throw at state para games. Later, post her marriage in 2017, she opted for weight-lifting on the suggestion of her husband Ravindra Chaudhary, a former wheelchair basketball player. It was only in 2021 that Agarwal started shooting under coach Yogesh Shekhawat at the Eklavya Shooting Academy in Jaipur and competed in her first WSPS World Cup in Croatia in 2023. While Lekhara missed major competitions in 2023 and early 2024 due to her gallbladder surgery, Agarwal would cement her place in the Indian para rifle shooting team. Agarwal won her first WSPS World Cup medal in the form of gold medal in the WSPS World Cup in Delhi, in March last year, where she also won the Paris Paralympics quota for India before she paired up with Aadithya Giri to claim the mixed team air rifle standing (SH1) event silver medal in the same World Cup. One month later, Agarwal would again win a WSPS World Cup gold with the women's R2 10m air rifle Standing SH1 final title in the WSPS World Cup in Changwon. In the Paris Paralympics, Agarwal claimed the bronze medal. The long stretch of competitions from March last year meant that Agarwal faced problems with her posture and some nerve injuries. 'Being in competition mode for more than six months starting March last year at the Paris Paralympics also meant that my body was overtired, and I would struggle with my posture. A lot of the time, my body will get stiff, and some nerves in my body will also be compressed due to prolonged hours of training. Post Paris, my main challenge was to balance training and my physical struggles,' says Agarwal. On Saturday, Agarwal qualified for the eight-shooter final in second spot with a score of 620.6 behind Korea's Yoojeong Lee's score of 621.9, with another Korean and Paris silver medallist, Yunri Lee, in the third spot with a score of 620.0. Korean Miyoung Kim (619.9 points) would qualify at the fourth spot, followed by Lekhara (617.5), apart from Emilia Babska of Poland, compatriot Swaroop Unhalkar and Makhmudakhon Sobirova of Kazakhstan. 'With three Korean shooters competing at their home range, finishing second in qualification gave Mona the right kind of mental preparation before the final. Whenever she has competed in the final of the World Cup, she has always won a medal. Today's medal is special given her struggles post Paris,' said Jaiprakash Nautiyal, chief coach Indian Para Shooting team. In the final, Agarwal was placed at the fourth spot after the second series with Yunri Lee, Lekhara and Yoojeong Lee ahead of Agarwal. She composed herself in the elimination series and went all the way to the gold deciding round before Yunri Lee won the gold. 'Though I started well, remaining in the top four after the end of the second series, I had my ups and downs in the elimination series. But I am glad my technique and shooting process clicked for me at crucial shots, and I could win the silver medal among the packed field consisting of three Koreans and Avani,' shared Agarwal. The mother of two also had to meet the demands of her two children, six-year-old daughter Aarvi and four-year-old son Avik. 'My children are my biggest strength. Neither of my children has called me for the last 3-4 days, knowing that I am competing. When I used to call them, they would say Mumma, aap competition ki taiyari karo. The only thing they ask is to get lots of toys from the local markets, from whichever country I go,' says Agarwal. Nitin Sharma is an Assistant Editor with the sports team of The Indian Express. Based out of Chandigarh, Nitin works with the print sports desk while also breaking news stories for the online sports team. A Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award recipient for the year 2017 for his story 'Harmans of Moga', Nitin has also been a two-time recipient of the UNFPA-supported Laadli Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity for the years 2022 and 2023 respectively. Nitin mainly covers Olympics sports disciplines with his main interests in shooting, boxing, wrestling, athletics and much more. The last 17 years with The Indian Express has seen him unearthing stories across India from as far as Andaman and Nicobar to the North East. Nitin also covers cricket apart from women's cricket with a keen interest. Nitin has covered events like the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the 2011 ODI World Cup, 2016 T20 World Cup and the 2017 AIBA World Youth Boxing Championships. An alumnus of School of Communication Studies, Panjab University, from where he completed his Masters in Mass Communications degree, Nitin has been an avid quizzer too. A Guru Nanak Dev University Colour holder, Nitin's interest in quizzing began in the town of Talwara Township, a small town near the Punjab-Himachal Pradesh border. When not reporting, Nitin's interests lie in discovering new treks in the mountains or spending time near the river Beas at his hometown. ... Read More
India Today
02-05-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Watch: RR exchange jerseys with Paralympian Avani Lekhara in heartfelt interaction
Paralympic medalist Avani Lekhara, who has won two gold and one bronze medal at the Paralympics, joined Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Thursday, May 1, as part of their Pink Promise campaign focused on women's empowerment in rural India. The event featured a symbolic jersey exchange between Lekhara and the Royals, celebrating her achievements and supporting the campaign's message. Kumar Sangakkara, Director of Cricket for Rajasthan Royals, expressed his gratitude, saying, 'Thank you very much for coming and supporting as well.' advertisementLekhara's presence added significance to the initiative, highlighting the power of sport in driving social change. Watch the video hereThank you for coming @AvaniLekhara #PinkPromise Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) May 1, 2025More about Pink Promise campaign On Thursday, the Rajasthan Royals donned a special all-pink kit during their match against Hardik Pandya's Mumbai Indians at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. As part of a social initiative, INR 100 from every match ticket sold was contributed towards women-led rural development in all proceeds from the sale of the all-pink Royals jerseys will support the Royal Rajasthan Foundation (RRF), the franchise's social equity arm. In a further show of impact, for every six hit by either team during the match, the Royals and the RRF pledged to light up six homes in the Sambhar region with solar for Avani Lekhara, she successfully defended her title in the women's 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 event at last year's Paralympics, clinching gold for the second consecutive time at the prestigious quadrennial event. In the process, she broke her own Paralympic record set at Tokyo 2020, cementing her status as India's most decorated female Paralympic far as the Royals are concerned, they failed to qualify for the IPL 2025 playoffs after MI beat them by 100 runs. Languishing at eighth in the table, RR will be playing for pride in their last three matches of the competition. Stay updated on IPL 2025 with India Today! Get match schedules, team squads, live score, and the latest IPL points table for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS, and RR. Plus, keep track of the top contenders for the IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap. Don't miss a moment!Must Watch IN THIS STORY#IPL 2025
