19-year-old Avani Lekhara becomes first Indian woman to win gold at Paralympics, Know her complete journey

Shooter Avani Lekhara scripted history on August 30 as she became the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Paralympics.

This is the first gold medal for India in the history of the Paralympics. She set the world record with 249.6 points.

In an interview in November 2019, she expressed her determination to win a medal in Tokyo. Her father has played a major role in her success.

Avni was born on November 8, 2001 in Jaipur, Rajasthan, but, in 2012, her life took a shocking turn.

At the age of 11, Avni broke her spine in a car accident and was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life. However, she did not allow her disability to interfere with her dreams, and she began to focus on education.

Her father wanted Avni to excel in sports as well as education. He thought that Avni should try in both shooting and archery. In 2015, they took her to learn shooting and archery, but she fell in love with shooting.

There is a reason behind that too. Read the biography of Abhinav Bindra, who won a gold medal in shooting at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 'A Shot at History'. After that, Avni focused on shooting. She shot at the Jagatpura Sports Complex in Jaipur.

Within a few months of starting training in 2015, she participated in the Rajasthan state level competition and won a gold medal. Avni had borrowed a rifle for this competition. A few months later, she won a bronze medal at the national competition. In the period from 2016 to 2020.

After the continuous efforts of the parents, self-confidence returned in Avni and taking inspiration from the biography of Abhinav Bindra, she started shooting.