Avani Lekhara Narrowly Misses Medal in Paris Paralympics' 50m Rifle 3P SH1 Final

Indian shooter Avani Lekhara missed out on securing a second medal at the Paris Paralympics in the women's 50m rifle 3P SH1 final. Germany's Natascha Hiltrop clinched gold, while Slovakia's Veronika Vadovicova took silver and China's Zhang Cuiping secured bronze.

Indian shooter Avani Lekhara narrowly missed out on adding another medal to her Paris Paralympics tally in the women's 50m rifle 3P SH1 final on Tuesday. Germany's Natascha Hiltrop dominated the event, clinching the gold with a total of 456.5 points. Slovakia's Veronika Vadovicova took home the silver, finishing just behind Hiltrop with 456.1 points. Meanwhile, China's Zhang Cuiping secured the bronze medal with 446.0 points.

Avani, who had earlier won gold in the women's 10m air rifle event, aimed to become the second Indian athlete to win two medals at these Paralympics after Preeti Pal. In a highly contested kneeling phase, Avani was tied for first with Veronika Vadovicova and Zhang Cuiping, posting a score of 51.1 after the first series. However, she dropped to fifth place overall after the second series with a cumulative score of 100 points.

Despite a strong performance in the third kneeling series, which saw her rise to second place with a total of 150.9 points, Avani struggled in the prone stage. She started strong but ended the three prone series with a cumulative score of 301.5 points, dropping to sixth position. In the final standing stage, Avani's struggle under pressure continued, ultimately securing her position in fifth place with a total score of 420.6 points.

(With inputs from agencies.)