Aichi-Nagoya, 23 October (H.S.): Indian para-shooter Mona Agarwal created history on Friday by clinching her second gold medal at the 2026 Asian Para Games. Fellow Indian shooter Avani Lekhara, meanwhile, narrowly missed out on a podium finish, ending the competition in fourth place.

Mona set a world record in the women’s 50-metre rifle three positions SH1 event, scoring 357.5 points in the final. China’s Zhang Cuiping secured the silver medal with 353.7 points, while South Korea’s Kim Myeong claimed bronze with 344.4 points.

Mona secured the gold medal with a 3.8-point advantage over Zhang, underlining her dominance in the final. She had earlier won gold in the women’s 10-metre air rifle standing SH1 event on the opening day of the Games. In that competition, she scored 250 points to establish an Asian Para Games record, surpassing Avani Lekhara’s previous mark of 249.6 points set at the 2023 edition in Hangzhou, China.

Avani, the other Indian shooter competing in the final, finished fourth. She was among the top two competitors after the prone position but fell behind during the standing series, ultimately missing out on a medal.

Mona’s latest achievement has further strengthened India’s medal campaign at the Asian Para Games. On the opening day, she and Avani had delivered a double podium finish in the women’s 10-metre air rifle standing SH1 event, securing the gold and silver medals respectively and giving India an impressive start to the competition.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar