India’s Mona Agarwal and Avani Lekhara won gold and silver medals in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 event at the 2026 Asian Para Games on Monday. Mona claimed the top spot with an Asian Para Games record score of 250, while Avani finished second with 249.6 points.
The competition took place at the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery. The two Indian shooters finished ahead of South Korea’s Yunri Lee, who won the bronze medal with a score of 227.9.
The double podium finish also marked India’s first medals at the ongoing Games. Mona and Avani had earlier finished first and second in the qualification round, setting themselves up for a strong challenge in the final.
Mona Agarwal Makes Remarkable Comeback To Win Gold
Mona had to fight her way back into contention during the final after slipping to fifth place. She responded strongly, climbed up the standings and eventually moved ahead of her rivals to secure the gold medal.
Her score of 250 also set a new Asian Para Games record in the event. She broke the previous mark of 249.6, which Avani had set while winning gold at the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou.
Mona came close to the world record of 252, held by Slovakia’s Iryna Shchetnik, but fell short of the mark.
For Mona, the gold adds to her growing list of achievements in para shooting. She won a bronze medal in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 event at the Paris Paralympics in 2024.
Avani Lekhara Wins Silver, Secures LA 2028 Paralympics Quota
Avani finished just 0.4 points behind Mona to take the silver medal with a score of 249.6. Although she could not defend her Asian Para Games title, her performance brought another medal for India.
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The result also secured Avani a quota place for the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. Mona had already secured India’s first quota place in the event last month at the World Shooting Para Sport Championships in Changwon, South Korea.
Avani is one of India’s most successful para shooters. She won gold in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 event at both the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Paralympics. She also claimed bronze in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions SH1 event at Tokyo.
Mona And Avani Lead Qualification Round
Earlier on Monday, the two Indians had also dominated the qualification round.
Mona topped the standings with 629.1 points after six series, setting a new Asian Para Games qualification record. She surpassed the previous mark held by China’s Zhang Cuiping and came within touching distance of the world record of 629.4 points.
That world record is jointly held by Avani and Slovakia’s Veronika Vadovicova.
Avani finished second in qualification with 626.4 points, ensuring that India had both leading qualifiers heading into the final. They carried that form into the medal round, completing a memorable one-two finish for the country.
Mona, Avani Shine At World Championships
Both shooters had also made their mark at the World Shooting Para Sport Championships in Changwon last month.
Mona finished second in the R2 women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 event with a score of 250, securing a quota place for India at the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympics. Serbia’s Kristina Trifunovic won gold with 250.2 points. Avani took bronze with 229.4 points, giving India another double podium finish at the championships.