Asian Para Games: Avani Lekhara targets gold, India gets total 17 medals in Para Asian Games

India, including Para Asian Games gold medalist shooter Avani Lekhara, won a total of 17 medals including six gold in the Para Asian Games on Monday. Apart from them, Shailesh Kumar (Men’s High Jump, T-63), Pranav Surma (Men’s Club Throw, F-51), Nishad (Men’s High Jump, T-47), Ankur Dhama (Men’s 5000m T-11), Praveen Kumar. (Men’s High Jump T-64, T-44) also won gold medals in their respective sports.

Avni’s record score with 249.6 points
Rajasthan’s Avani won gold in the women’s R2 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 category with a Games record score of 249.6 points. 21-year-old Avni became a victim of a road accident in 2012, after which she is on a wheelchair. Inspired by Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra, he started trying his hand at shooting in 2015 and never looked back.

All three medals in men’s club throw F-51 go to India
Indian players also won silver and bronze medals in the men’s club throw F-51 event. Surma won the gold with an effort of 30.01m, setting a new Asian Para Games record, while Dharambir (28.76m) and Amit Kumar (26.93m) finished second and third respectively. There were only four competitors in the event, with Saudi Arabia’s Radhi Ali Alarthi finishing last with a throw of 23.77 metres.

India did not get bronze due to lack of four athletes
India also had three top-three finishes in the men’s high jump T63 category, but under Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) rules, only gold and silver were awarded in the event. Only three Indians had challenged in this competition. Under the APC’s ‘minus one rule’, Shailesh won gold at the Asian Para Games with a record jump of 1.82 metres, while Mariyappan Thangavelu (1.80 metres) won silver. Under APC rules, Govindbhai Ramsingbhai Padhiyar (1.78 m) cannot win the bronze. To win all three medals, at least four athletes are required to be in the field. In this situation, India lost one medal.

Six players got silver
Six Indian players won silver medals. Apart from Mariyappan, Prachi Yadav (Para Kenai, Women’s VL-2), Dharambir (Men’s Club Throw, F-51), Rudransh Khandelwal (Mixed 50m Pistol, SH1), Rampal (Men’s High Jump, T-47), Kapil Parmar. (Men’s 60kg, Judo-J1) won silver.

Bronze medalists
Amit Saroha (Para Club Throw, F-51), Monu Ghanghas (Men’s Shot Put, F-11), Unni Renu (Men’s High Jump, T-64, T-44), Aruna Tanwar (Women’s Taekwondo, K-44, 47 kg) and Kokila (Women, Judo 48 kg, J2).