Truly Inspirational Story of Avani Lekhara
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| PC : Google |
From a horrific car accident in 2012 to winning gold in 2021,
In just 9 years, SHE has seen it all.
Her story stands as an inspiration for countless others battling disabilities.
From a life-threatening accident to becoming a para shooter par excellence, She has gone through it all and braved the odds to come out on top.
As her twitter bio reads ‘Life consists not in holding good cards, but in playing those cards you hold, well,’
Avani Lekhara was born November 8, 2001 in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
She sustained spinal cord injuries in a car accident in 2012. This accident disrupted her movements and made her wheelchair-bound. It left her powerless.
The young champ did not let her injuries discourage her and took up shooting after feeling a connection to the sport when her father took her to the shooting range. Encouraged by her father, Avani was urged to make the most of her ability rather than disability, competing in a range of sports from an early age. And the 12-year-old had faith in her own abilities.
However, her path towards success was riddled with obstacles as she had to overcome both physical and mental battles. And you don't find too many para-coaches. Techniques are different as the requirements are different.
‘To live with a disability is a victory in itself,’ she said in 2019 when asked about her journey.
Avani Lekhara is India's first woman to win a Paralympic Gold Medal. She achieved this feat at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. She also made a new Paralympic Record and equalled the World Record. Avani finished with a Paralympic Record and in-process equalled the World Record with 249.6 points.
With the silver medal on August 29, 2021, Bhavina Patel became the first table tennis player ever to win a medal at the Paralympics for India. PCI chief Deepa Malik was the first Indian women to win medal in Paralympics. Deepa had won silver at Rio 2016 in women's shot put.
An unsung hero amongst all this is India's golden man Abhinav Bindra who has also played an instrumental role in getting Avani to where she is today. She read Abhinav Bindra's autobiography and was inspired to carry on her pursuit for shooting. He wish was to do something similar to what he did for India and she has done exactly that by winning a gold medal at Tokyo.
@BhagirathShelar
