Courtesy: Google
Paralympics 2020 Medalist, Avani Lekhara arguably had the hardest of journeys to the professional shooting. Lekhara opened up about the tough times in life in an exclusive interview, talking about how she wasn't into any sport prior to her accident before stumbling upon shooting, and her exploits in the sport are second to none.
At the age of 11, Avani Lekhara survived a near-fatal car accident. However, this also meant that she was paralyzed below her waist. The 22-year-old might have given up the sport if not for her parents persuading her to continue her journey.
Way back in 2015, she tried her hand in archery and shooting during the Summer Vacations at the Kendriya Vidyalaya Number 3. Fast forward to 2021, after the Paralympics 2020 was postponed for a year due to COVID-19, she became the first Paralympic to win a medal for India in the SH1 category, including 10m women's air rifle gold followed by 50m women's rifle 3-positions bronze.
Before the accident, I was not into any sport: Avani Lekhara
During an exclusive interview with PTI, the Jaipur-born said that before the fateful accident, she was not pursuing any sport. After the tragedy, she decided not to participate in any sport but her parents persuaded her to do so. However, the Major Dhyan Khel Ratna awardee mentioned that she wanted to excel in fields other than studies.
"Before the accident, I was not into any sport and after that too I was not at all thinking about joining any sport. But my parents always thought that I need to do something other than studies. I went back to school two years after the accident,” she said.
"They have these regional games, national games, so my parents also thought of enrolling me in some sport, and then I went there during my summer vacations in 2015 and I tried archery, I tried shooting. I liked shooting more because it was an indoor game, I thought 'ok, let's start'. Then I started competing, started liking it more. That's how it went after that," Avani, a former world No.1 in 10m air rifle (SH1), who is also an assistant conservator of forest with the Rajasthan government, told PTI.
The Padma Shri awardee added that she has become more mature in her game and is focusing on the process rather than results.
"I think we have been in a very positive environment throughout. We are just focusing on the process rather than the outcome. There, obviously, will be expectations but those expectations only motivate me and inspire me more to give my best. I'm also more mature in my technique. And whatever it is, even if it a negative or positive motivation, I try to keep it outside the (firing) lane,” she said.
The 2024 Paralympics will start on August 28 and will conclude on September 8, 2024. As the Summer Olympics was hosted by Paris, the Summer Paralympics will be held in the capital of France as well.
