Tokyo Paralympics: India's Avani Lekhara wins gold in shooting

Indian Shooter Avani Lekhara scripted history as she won gold in women's 10m Air Rifle Standing event at the Tokyo Paralympics. Lekhara in her debut Games secured the first medal for the country in shooting with a total score of 249.6 in the final.

The ace shooter scored a Paralympics record of 249.6 to win India's first-ever shooting gold.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first to congratulate Lakhera. Calling her performance phenomenal, PM tweeted that the hard-earned gold was possible due to her industrious nature and passion towards shooting. "This is truly a special moment for Indian sports," the PM added.

With a score of 621.7, the 19-year-old para rifle shooter finished 7th in the qualification round. This is India's first gold and fourth in total at the quadrennial para event.