Asian Para Games: Mona, Avani dominate 10m air rifle as India bring home first gold medal
India opened their medal account at the Asian Para Games 2026 with a commanding one-two finish in the women’s 10m air rifle SH1 event on Monday, October 19. Mona Agarwal clinched gold with an Asian Para Games record of 250 points, edging out defending champion Avani Lekhara, who settled for silver with 249.6 points.
The contest between the two Indian shooters went down to the finest of margins, with Mona finishing just 0.4 points ahead of Avani. The result also gave India their first gold medal of the campaign, with both shooters reaching the podium on Day 1 of the competition.
Asian Para Games, October 19: Live Updates
Avani, the reigning Paralympic and Asian Games champion, had led the standings until the halfway point of the final. However, a 9.7 in the fourth series of the second stage allowed Mona to seize the advantage.
Avani responded strongly under pressure, holding off challenges from South Korea’s Yunri Lee and Kazakhstan’s Aigerim Tulegenova, who briefly moved ahead of her. The Indian shooter recovered to secure silver, ensuring a memorable start for the Indian contingent.
For Mona, the gold medal marked another major achievement in a sporting career that has risen rapidly since she took up competitive rifle shooting in December 2021.
WHO IS MONA AGARWAL?
Born on November 8, 1987, in Sikar, Rajasthan, Mona contracted polio at nine months of age, affecting both her lower limbs. Before finding success in para-shooting, she explored several sporting disciplines, including para-athletics and para-powerlifting, and played an important role in women’s sitting volleyball.
In 2019, Mona captained Rajasthan’s women’s team to gold at the inaugural National Sitting Volleyball Championship. She began competitive rifle shooting in December 2021 and quickly established herself as a contender on the national and international stages.
After winning a national silver medal in 2022, she earned bronze in the mixed team event at the 2023 World Shooting Para Sport World Cup in Osijek, Croatia. Later that year, she won gold in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 event at the World Cup in Changwon, South Korea.
Mona’s breakthrough came in March 2024 at the World Shooting Para Sport World Cup in New Delhi. She won gold in the women’s 10m air rifle SH1 event with a score of 250.7, setting an Asian record and securing a Paralympic quota place for India.
She carried that form into the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, winning bronze in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 event. She also secured silver in the mixed team 10m air rifle event at the New Delhi World Cup in 2024.
Her performances earned her the Arjuna Award in 2024. A mother of two, Mona has balanced family responsibilities with the demands of elite sport, building a career that has taken her from multiple sporting disciplines to the top of the para-shooting podium.
Her gold medal in Nagoya adds another milestone to that journey, while India’s one-two finish alongside Avani provides an early boost to the country’s campaign at the Asian Para Games.
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