The performance of Indian athletes was excellent on the second day of Paris Paralympics. India won three medals in shooting and one in athletics. With these four medals, India has reached 17th position in the medal tally of Paris Paralympics 2024. ‘Wonder Girl’ Avani Lekhara has become the first Indian woman to win two gold medals in Paralympics. Before Paris, she had also won gold in the women’s 10m air rifle (SH1) event at the Tokyo Paralympics. At the same time, Mona Agarwal made the day memorable by winning the bronze medal of this event. For the first time in India’s Paralympic history, two shooters have won medals in the same event.
While Manish Narwal missed out on winning the gold medal in the men’s 10m air pistol (SH1) event and had to settle for silver, Preeti Pal won the bronze medal in the women’s T35 100m event with a personal best time of 14.21 seconds, giving India its first athletics medal in a Paralympic track event.
In Paralympics, the position in the medal tally is decided on the basis of gold medals. After the second day, China is on top with 12 gold medals, while Great Britain has half a dozen gold medals to its credit. India is at 17th position with 1 gold.
Paris Paralympics 2024 Medal Tally
| Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total Medals |
| China | 12 | 9 | 4 | 25 |
| Great Britain | 6 | 6 | 3 | 15 |
| Brazil | 5 | 1 | 7 | 13 |
| Netherlands | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Italy | 3 | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Australia | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| France | 2 | 5 | 2 | 9 |
| Uzbekistan | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| India (ranked 17th) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
22-year-old Avni, who won gold in Tokyo three years ago, broke her own record of 249.6 by scoring 249.7. Mona, who made her debut in shooting two years ago after shot put, powerlifting and wheelchair volleyball, won the bronze medal with a score of 228.7.
Avni, a resident of Jaipur, was battling health problems before the Paralympics. She had to undergo a surgery on her gall bladder due to which she had to take a break for one and a half months. She also lost a lot of weight due to the surgery but she bravely faced all the difficulties and hoisted the Indian flag in Paris.
She said, “I am happy to win a medal for the country. I want to thank my team, my coaches and my family.”
Avni is wheelchair-bound after being paralyzed below the waist in a car accident at the age of 11. She became India’s first female shooter to win a medal in shooting at the Tokyo Paralympics.
The SH1 category includes players who have deformities in their arms, lower back, legs or who have no arms at all.