Avani Lekhara
 Lekhara in 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Avani Lekhara | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 8 November 2001 Jaipur, Rajasthan, India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 3 in (160 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Shooting | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event | Air Rifle SH1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Paralympic finals | 2020 Summer Paralympics: 10m air rifle standing SH1 – Gold | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Avani Lekhara (born 8 November 2001 in Jaipur) is an Indian Paralympian and rifle shooter from Rajasthan.[1] She won a gold medal in the 10m air rifle standing and a bronze medal in the 50m rifle 3 positions at the 2020 Summer Paralympics. As of January 2023[update], Lekhara is ranked world no. 1 in Women's 10m Air Rifle standing SH1 (World Shooting Para Sport Rankings)[2] and has competed in the 2018 Asian Para Games.[3][4][5][6] She has been supported by GoSports Foundation through the Para Champions Programme.[7] She is also the first Indian woman to win multiple medals in a single Paralympic Games.[8] She has been given out of turn appointment as Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF) by the Government of Rajasthan.[9]
Career
Lekhara is the first Indian woman to win a Paralympic gold medal.[10][11][12] Lekhara also won India's first gold medal at the 2020 Summer Paralympics. With a score of 249.6 points in the final event, the young shooter set a Paralympic record and tied the world record.[13] She began shooting in 2015, inspired by former Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra and has since won several national and international titles.[14] On 3 September 2021, she became the first Indian female Paralympian to win two medals in Paralympics history after claiming bronze in women's 50m air rifle standing event.[15][16]
Personal life
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In popular culture
Avani has appeared in the Kalki presents 'My Indian Life' for young Indian adults in the twenty-first century examined by Bollywood actress Kalki Koechlin. True stories from India, sometimes brutal, sometimes inspiring. The BBC World Service broadcasts the programme.[20]
Awards
- 2021 – Khel Ratna Award, highest sporting honour of India.[21]
- 2021 - Young Indian of the Year - GQ India
- 2021 - Vogue Women of the Year - Vogue Magazine
- 2021 - Best Female Debut - Paralympic Awards - International Paralympic Committee
- 2022 - Padma Shri[22]
- 2022 - FICCI FLO Award for Excellence in Sports
- 2022 - She - Age Award by Hindustan Times
- 2022 - Para Athlete of the Year (Female) - Sportstar
- 2022 - BBC India Change Maker Of The Year 2021
- 2022 - BRICS CCI WE - Trailblazer 2022
See also
References
- ^ PTI. "Indians win four gold to begin Para Asian Games campaign in style". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
- ^ "World Shooting Para Sport Rankings / Official World Rankings 2023". World Shooting Para Sport.
- ^ "Para shooter Avani Lekhara clinches silver; India stay in top three". Indian Express News.
- ^ "Avani Lekhara". The Bridge News.
- ^ "Para World Cup: Teenage shooter Avani Lekhara wins 10m air rifle silver". Time of India News.
- ^ "Avani Lekhara wins women's 10m air rifle silver medal at World Shooting Para Sport World Cup". Firstpost News.
- ^ "Improvise, adapt, overcome: Indian para athletes' mantra for beating lockdown". ESPN. 19 April 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- ^ "Avani Lekhara becomes first Indian woman to win multiple medals at Paralympics". ESPN. 3 September 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- ^ "News Detail". dipr.rajasthan.gov.in. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
- ^ "Truly special moment: India celebrates Avani Lekhara, the golden girl at Tokyo Paralympics". India Today. 30 August 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- ^ "Shooter Avani Lekhara becomes first Indian woman to win gold at Paralympics". The Hindu. Press Trust of India. 30 August 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- ^ Haq, Sana Noor. "Avani Lekhara becomes first Indian woman to win Paralympic gold". CNN. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- ^ "Shooting athlete Avani Lekhara enters history books with gold". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- ^ "India's first woman Paralympic gold medallist Avani Lekhara inspired by Abhinav Bindra's autobiography". The Indian Express. 30 August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- ^ Peter, Naveen (3 September 2021). "Shooter Avani Lekhara scripts history, becomes first Indian woman to win two Paralympics medals". Olympics.com. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
- ^ "Avani Lekhara becomes first Indian woman to win 2 Paralympic medals". The Times of India. 3 September 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- ^ "Avani Lekhara: Golden girl from Pink City". The Indian Express. 9 October 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
- ^ "Tokyo Paralympic 2020: Avani Lekhara wins historic gold for India in shooting". BBC News. 30 August 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- ^ Kartik, RJ (7 October 2021). "Avani Lekhara Interview". YouTube. Archived from the original on 17 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "BBC World Service - Kalki Presents: My Indian Life, Bullseye". BBC. 26 November 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
- ^ "National Sports Awards 2021: Neeraj Chopra, Lovlina Borgohain, Mithali Raj Among 9 Others to Get Khel Ratna". News18. 2 November 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
- ^ Sharma, Nitin (26 January 2022). "Para champions, Neeraj Chopra, hockey star Vandana Katariya among Padma awardees". Indian Express. Retrieved 26 January 2022.