Avani Lekhara Overcomes Adversity to Secure Third Paralympic Gold in Paris

Five months ahead of the Paris Paralympics, Avani Lekhara, a 22-year-old shooter from Rajasthan, underwent surgery to remove gallbladder stones. This health issue had been a source of significant discomfort and had negatively impacted her training routine. Consequently, in March, Avani opted for surgery to resolve the issue.

Her father, Praveen Kumar Lekhara, was filled with relief when she clinched the gold medal in the women’s 10m Air Rifle Standing SH 1 final at the Chateauroux Shooting Range. This victory marked Avani’s third medal at the Paralympics, adding to the gold and bronze she had previously won at the Tokyo Paralympics three years prior.

“Avani had been struggling with gallbladder stones since 2023. The recurring pain in her stomach and waist made it difficult for her to train for the usual hours at the shooting range. She was determined to perform her best at the Paris Paralympics, so we decided to have the gallbladder removed in March this year. The recovery period was tough and took some time, but she has ended a challenging year with a remarkable achievement,” Praveen shared with The Indian Express.

At the Tokyo Paralympics, Avani, then just 19, made history by becoming the second Indian athlete to win multiple medals in the same Paralympics, securing a gold in the women’s 10m air rifle SH 1 event and a bronze in the 50m 3P event in the same category.

The last Indian athlete to win more medals than Avani in a single Paralympic Games was Joginder Singh Sodhi, who won three medals at the 1984 Games.

Recalling the post-surgery challenges, her coach, Chandra Shekar, noted how difficult it was for Avani to return to shooting after her period of rest. “Avani competed in the New Delhi World Cup last year while enduring consistent pain, which hindered her progress. After the surgery, she was advised to rest for two months, and when she resumed training, her weakened muscles posed a significant challenge. We went back to basics, having her perform dry or shadow loading exercises. Initially, her body would shake due to weakened neuromuscular memory following her recovery. Once her neuromuscular memory fully returned, we increased the number of targets, and she was back on track before heading to Paris,” Shekar recalled.

Avani’s journey into shooting began following a tragic car accident in 2011 on the Jaipur-Dholpur highway. She was just 11 years old when the accident occurred, resulting in spinal cord injuries that left her paralyzed from the waist down. “After the accident, Avani spent over 90 days in SMS Hospital in Jaipur and then at the Indian Spinal Injury Centre in Delhi. It took her nearly three years to regain some strength. During this period, she found solace in watching dance performances on television and reading books,” her father recalled.

Three years after the accident, Avani began her shooting career at the Jagatpura Shooting Range and started training under coach Shekar in 2016 using a rented air rifle. Within a year, she was already making her mark by winning titles at para nationals and earning a silver medal at the WSPS World Cup in AL Ain and a bronze at the World Cup in Bangkok. Avani initially focused on the 10m air rifle event, but she soon expanded her repertoire to include the 50m rifle 3P SH 1 event.

“From the beginning, Avani’s greatest asset has been her mental strength, which has always driven her forward. I knew that we had to gradually build her physical strength. She started training with a Feinwerkbau junior rifle, and we worked on her shoulder positioning and finding the right balance with the rifle for the 10m air rifle event. In the 50m 3P event, where she needed to adapt to modified kneeling and prone positions due to her paraplegia, she required some time to adjust and find a suitable position,” coach Shekar explained.

At the Tokyo Paralympics, Avani won a bronze medal in the 50m 3P event just days after securing gold in the 10m air rifle event. Coach Shekar recalled her rigorous preparation for the demanding events: “The 10m air rifle event helped her significantly in the standing series. For the kneeling position, we had to help her adjust her elbow on the circular piece on the flat board, and initially, we focused on dry or shadow shooting before progressing to 20-30 shots,” he remembered.

In the past six years, Avani has also been training under her personal coach, Suma Shirur, a former national coach for the 10m Rifle Olympic events. Finding the right adjustments and load positions for Avani was a challenge. “Her mental strength enabled her to grasp the basics of shooting well. When we made adjustments to find the best-suited load position and established a stable base using her upper body for support—unlike a typical shooter who uses their feet for balance—it was a gradual process, but Avani was patient,” Shirur told The Indian Express earlier.

Avani secured India’s first Paralympic quota at the Para World Cup in Paris in 2022, setting a new world record score of 250.6 in the final. While she won a bronze at the Para Shooting World Cup in Delhi last year, her performance was hampered by persistent pain.

Looking ahead, Avani is set to compete in the 10m air rifle mixed team prone SH 1 event and the women’s 50m rifle 3P event in Paris. There is a possibility that she could match the historic achievement of Joginder Singh Sodhi, who won three medals in the 1984 Paralympics.