"I want to win a gold medal for India" - Avani Lekhara has her eyes on the top prize at Paralympics 2021

Avani Lekhara will be one of India's star rifle shooters at the Paralympics 2021. The 19-year-old is currently ranked fifth in the women's 10 m Air rifle SH1 category.

Her journey to the top of para-sports has, however, not been all that easy. Avani suffered a life-threatening accident in 2012, which left her wheelchair-bound. However, destiny had something special planned for the young girl from Rajasthan.

Avani Lekhara was inspired by Abhinav Bindra's book

Avani Lekhara was just nine years old at the time of the horrific accident. Her life changed when she read Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra's book, 'A Shot At History.'

While talking to The Bridge in a recent interview, Avani said:

"When I read it, it was very inspirational for me. Because he is the first individual gold medalist in the Olympics for India. He faced all the hardships and went there and performed. So it inspired me, it was the first time I was reading the autobiography of a sportsperson.

"So it motivated me like, if he can do it, then even I can do it. I also want to win the gold medal for India."

Avani Lekhara's rise to the top of para-shooting

Avani started her journey in para-shooting at the school level. She dominated the junior circuits and set out for international glory. The rifle shooter announced herself to the world after winning a silver medal at the IPC Para Shooting World Cup in 2017. She added another silver to her tally at the same event in Osijek, Croatia, a couple of years later.

Avani Lekhara competes in a stacked category with world-class shooters like Iryna Shchetnik and Veronika Vadovicova. The two ace shooters are currently occupying the top two positions in the rifle shooting category and look to be the favorites to win the gold in Tokyo. But Avani has been in sensational form this year and will be a serious medal contender as well.

Avani Lekhara is having the best year of her career

pic.twitter.com/nP1wC7d4SR

— Avani Lekhara (@AvaniLekhara) July 23, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic derailed her preparations for the Paralympics in Tokyo, but as soon as competitions resumed she showed brilliant form. The rifle shooter won eight medals at the National Para-shooting Championships earlier this year.

Avani emulated the same brilliance at the Para Shooting World Cup in March. She bagged a silver medal by scoring 248.7 in the final, which was 0.3 points less than Ukraine's Iryna Shchetnik's score.

However, her performance at the event definitely caught the eyes of many. The prodigy was calm and composed amidst the presence of some top-ranked shooters. If the Indian puts up a similar performance at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo, there is no stopping her from getting on to the podium.

@AvaniLekhara International Ace @ShootingPara demonstrates few exercises @ home for Wheelchair Persons #IndiaFightsCoronavirus @narendramodi @Paralympics @asianparalympic @Jaiprakashnauti @KirenRijiju @RijijuOffice @CEO_Cairn @CairnOilandGas @HeroMotoCorp @DeepaAthlete @swamiiii pic.twitter.com/K8eLCEixkD

— Paralympic India 🇮🇳 #Cheer4India 🏅 #Praise4Para (@ParalympicIndia) April 6, 2020

Along with being a world-class shooter, Avani is also studying to be a lawyer. However, she will be focused on winning the medal at the Para Games, as she believes it can motivate many people.

In this regard, Lekhara said:

"Shooting means a lot. By shooting I can inspire a lot of people who are not sure if they can do something, because of physical or mental issues. Shooting is very important for me to bring out my perspective to the world that para players can perform equally well like the normal players."