The Indian contingent at the Paris Paralympics had a fantastic day on Friday, bagging a total of four medals, including a gold. Shooter Avani Lekhara successfully defended her title, while Mona Agarwal, Preeti Pal, and Manish Narwal also secured podium finishes on day 2 of the quadrennial event.
Avani Lekhara and Mona Agarwal commenced India’s tally at the 2024 Paris Paralympics by securing gold and bronze medals, respectively, in the Women’s 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 event. Avani, who clinched gold in the same event at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, successfully defended her title by setting a Paralympic Games record with a total of 249.7 points in the final ranking. Mona Aggarwal bagged the bronze medal with a score of 228.7 points in the final standing. Lee Yunri of South Korea got silver with a score of 246.8.
Preeti Pal created history by becoming the first Indian to win a Paralympics medal in track athletics. She secured bronze in the Women’s 100m T35 race with a personal best time of 14.21. Xia Zhou from China won the gold medal with a time of 13.58, while Qianqian Guo from China claimed the silver medal with a time of 13.74.
Manish Narwal secured a silver medal in the 10m Air Pistol SH1 event at the Paris Paralympics. Building on his Tokyo Paralympics gold medal win in the Mixed 50m Pistol event, Manish Narwal claimed a silver medal in the 10m Air Pistol SH1 event in Paris on Friday. He came in second place to Jeongdu Jo of South Korea, while Yang Chao of China finished in third place to bag the bronze.