WSPS World Cup Al Ain 2025: Avani Lekhara bags air rifle gold with final shot
Akash won the Mixed 50m Pistol SH1 gold medal ahead of compatriot Sandeep Kumar, who settled for silver.
Avani Lekhara won a gold Medal at the WSPS World Cup Al Ain. (Photo credit: SAI)
Two-time Paralympic champion Avani Lekhara clinched the Women's 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 gold medal at the 2025 Para Shooting World Cup in Al Ain, Dubai, on Saturday.
She made a fabulous comeback in the final, where she was in second place till the 23rd shot. But then a shot of 10.5 on the final attempt helped her to overtake Anna Besnon of Sweden and bag the title.
She required a 10.3 on her last shot, but delivered an even stronger shot to conclude with 249.6, edging out Anna's 249.3. Meanwhile, Thailand's Wannipa Leungvilai clinched the bronze medal.
On the other hand, India failed to medal in the Men's 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 category as its sole finalist, Ishank Ahuja, finished 6th in the final.
Double Podium in Mixed 50m Pistol SH1
Earlier, India delivered another brilliant performance in Mixed 50m Pistol SH1 event, securing a double podium with gold and silver medals in the individual, along with a silver in the team event.
In the Individual final, Akash shot 223.1 in the final to win the gold medal ahead of compatriot Sandeep Kumar (220.5), who settled for a silver medal.
The duo, combined with Rudransh Khandelwal to also bagged the team silver medal with a combined total of 1588, just behind Iran (1598).
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