Paralympic Awards 2021: Avani Lekhara receives Best Female Debut honour
Avani Lekhara is an Indian para shooter who won a gold medal during the Tokyo Paralympics 2020. Consequently, he has received the Best Female Debut honour at Paralympic Awards 2021.
FollowA few months back, the Indian para-athletes did a fine job during the Tokyo Paralympics 2020, winning record medals. Meanwhile, Indian para-shooter Avani Lekhara grabbed eyeballs through her splendid shooting and gold-winning performance during the competition. As a result, she has been rewarded with the Best Female Debut honour during the 2021 Paralympic Awards.
The 20-year-old hails from Jaipur and was involved in a car accident back in 2012. She sustained a spinal cord injury, leaving her paralysed. As Lekhara took part in the Games, she won the gold at the SH1 Air Rife Standing event. She also won a bronze at the SH1 50m Rifle Three Positions Standing, thus becoming the first Indian female to win multiple medals in an edition of the Paralympics.
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Earlier, she was also honoured with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award, which happens to be India's top-most sporting honour. "It is an hour for me to win this award. The focus was always on giving my best shot and bringing back medals for my country and showing that anything is possible with hard work, dedication and passion," she said in a video posted by the Paralympics.
"It was a dream come true for me at that time. When I came back to India, I met a lot of people. I went back to my school, and kids there came to me and said they are inspired by me and also want to take up sport. It is amazing, but with success comes a lot of responsibility," she added.
