![Indian shooter Avani Lekhara wins bronze medal at the Paralympics [Image Credits: Tokyo for India/Twitter]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/09/5106f-16306490127509-800.jpg)
![Indian shooter Avani Lekhara wins bronze medal at the Paralympics [Image Credits: Tokyo for India/Twitter]](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http%3A//www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20xmlns%3Axlink='http%3A//www.w3.org/1999/xlink'%20viewBox='0%200%2010%206.25'%3E%3Cfilter%20id='b'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20stdDeviation='.5'%3E%3C/feGaussianBlur%3E%3CfeComponentTransfer%3E%3CfeFuncA%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20type='discrete'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20tableValues='1%201'%3E%3C/feFuncA%3E%3C/feComponentTransfer%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20filter='url(%23b)'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Avani Lekhara shined again at the Paralympics as she cruised to win a bronze medal in the 50m rifle 3 positions. The Indian scored a total of 445.9 points in the competition to outbattle her Ukrainian counterpart Iryna Shchetnik.
After successfully qualifying for the final placed 2nd, Avani kept her cool and composed herself in the stacked line-up for the final. The medal means that she is now the only Indian female para-athlete to win 2 Paralympic medals.
Considering she out-performed some world-class shooters in the final, she is definitely on her way to winning many more laurels for the nation.
Avani Lekhara wins bronze medal at the Paralympics
Avani was high on confidence after her stellar gold medal-winning performance in the 10 m air rifle event. She continued her brilliance in the qualifiers, as she scored 1175 to be placed above seasoned veterans like Iryna Shchetnik and Zhang Cuiping.
However, the final is a whole different ball game. The Indian knew that she had to deliver something special to beat someone like Anna Norman, who had just broken the world record in the qualifiers.
Norman had a disappointing campaign in the final, as she could only finish 5th in the standings. Once she left, the battle was between Avani and her arch-nemesis Iryna. Both were neck and neck during the elimination stages.
With just one shot to go, Avani shot a solid 10.5. Iryna had a lot to do if she wanted to better this. However, Iryna missed the mark and only managed a 9.9, which meant that Avani would take home the bronze.
In a bid to get to a possible shoot-off for gold, the Indian shot a 10.2. It was not enough as Zhang Cuiping and Natascha Hiltrop dominated the final to take the gold and silver medals respectively.
Twitter reacts to Avani Lekhara's bronze medal
Avani Lekhara grabbed headlines after her gold medal performance earlier during the Paralympics. Many Indians were glued to their television sets to have a glimpse of her shooting.
The 19-year-old did not disappoint as she delivered a top-notch performance to win her second medal. Fans took to Twitter to congratulate her on the sensational achievement.
