Shooting: Avani Lekhara made history by becoming the first Indian to win consecutive Paralympic gold medals after her record-breaking performance in the women’s 10m air rifle SH1 event at the Paris Paralympics 2024 on Friday. The 22-year-old scored 249.7 in the final, surpassing her own previous Paralympic record of 249.6 to secure the historic gold. However, her journey to Paris was far from easy, as she battled several health challenges, including a gallbladder surgery that sidelined her for a period and disrupted her training.
After her surgery, Avani experienced significant weight loss but remained determined, resuming practice during the national camp despite the setbacks. Her coach, Praveen, shared that gallbladder stones had been causing her pain since 2023, affecting her ability to train due to recurring pain in her stomach and waist. To give her best at the Paris Paralympics, Avani decided to undergo gallbladder removal surgery in March this year. The recovery phase was tough, but she eventually achieved a remarkable feat.
PARALYMPIC CHAMPION, BABY 🤩🥇
— Avani Lekhara अवनी लेखरा PLY (@AvaniLekhara) August 30, 2024
Elated to have defended my Gold Medal from Tokyo 2020. Work not done yet as there’s 2 more events to follow. Focused now on doing my best in them.
Thank you for all the wishes! 🫶🏽 pic.twitter.com/owH9xkkLB7
Avani’s other coach, Chandra Shekar, also spoke about her challenges post-surgery and her determined comeback to shooting. He noted that Avani competed in the New Delhi World Cup last year despite persistent pain, which hindered her progress. After the surgery, she was advised to rest for two months, and when she resumed, weakened muscles posed a major challenge. The team returned to basic training, including dry/shadow loading, as Avani’s body would sometimes shake during shooting due to weakened neuromuscular memory. Once her neuromuscular memory was fully restored, she was back on track before Paris, ultimately achieving her historic win.