Mona Agarwal Gold, Avani Lekhara Silver: India Dominates 10m Air Rifle
India opens its medal tally at the 2026 Asian Para Games as Mona Agarwal wins gold and Avani Lekhara takes silver in the 10m air rifle final.
India has made a spectacular start to the Asian Para Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, securing its first medals of the competition through a dominant performance in the shooting arena. In a thrilling women's 10m air rifle final, Indian shooters Mona Agarwal and Avani Lekhara claimed the top two spots, ensuring a 1-2 finish for the country.
Mona Agarwal Smashes Records
Mona Agarwal emerged as the champion of the event, clinching the gold medal with a stellar performance. Her victory was not just about the podium finish but also about rewriting the history books. Agarwal set a new Asian Para Games record by scoring 250 after the seventh series.
In doing so, she surpassed the previous record of 249.6, which was ironically held by her compatriot Avani Lekhara from the 2023 Hangzhou Games.
Avani Lekhara Secures Silver
Continuing her streak of excellence, Avani Lekhara bagged the silver medal in the same event. Lekhara finished the seventh series with a score of 249.6, cementing India's stranglehold on the women's 10m air rifle category.
Dominance from the Qualification Round
The final result was a reflection of the strong momentum built during the qualification stages. Mona Agarwal had already signaled her intent by topping the qualification round with a score of 629.1 after Series 6, setting a new continental record. She eclipsed the previous mark held by China's Zhang Cuiping and came tantalizingly close to the world record of 629.4, which is jointly held by Lekhara and Slovakia's Veronika Vadovicova.
Avani Lekhara mirrored this success in the qualifiers, finishing second with a total score of 626.4, ensuring that both Indian athletes entered the finals as the favorites.
Mixed Results for the Men's Team
While the women's team celebrated a historic double-podium finish, the men's 10m air rifle standing SH1 final proved to be a tougher challenge for India.
The Final Standings
- Mahavir Swaroop Unhalkar: Finished in a heartbreaking fourth place with a score of 205.9, exiting the competition after the fifth series.
- Rakesh Nidagundi: The debutant finished seventh overall with a total of 141.5 points.
Qualification Highlights
In the qualifying rounds for the men's event, both Nidagundi and Unhalkar had managed to secure their spots in the finals, finishing seventh (619.3) and eighth (617.4) respectively after Series 6. However, Anandha Krishnan could not make the cut, finishing 13th with a score of 605.2.