Mona Agarwal Beats Avani Lekhara for Asian Para Games Gold in Record 1-2 for India

India opened its medal count at the Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya with a one-two finish that went to the last shots. Mona Agarwal won gold in the women's 10m air rifle standing SH1 final on Monday, October 19, 2026, and Avani Lekhara took silver in the same final at the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery in Toyota, Japan, IANS reported.

Agarwal scored 250.0 in the final, a new Asian Para Games record. Lekhara scored 249.6. The old Games record was also 249.6, set by Lekhara when she won gold at the Hangzhou Games, according to IANS and Livemint. South Korea's Lee Yunri took bronze with 227.9, well behind the two Indian shooters.

A comeback in the final

Agarwal did not lead this final from the start. She was fifth midway through it, IANS reported, before she climbed into the medal places and then held off Lekhara over the closing shots. The Bridge reported that Lekhara led the final until the 19th of 24 shots, and that Agarwal finished 0.4 points ahead.

The result makes Agarwal only the second Indian woman shooter to win gold at the Asian Para Games, Livemint reported. The first was Lekhara herself, in the same event in 2022. Agarwal won bronze at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, and this was her first medal at an Asian Para Games, RevSportz reported.

Lekhara is the defending champion in this event and a two-time Paralympic gold medallist. She had to settle for silver this time, but the silver also secured her a quota place for the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympics, IANS reported. Agarwal had already secured her quota place at the World Championships last month.

Records in qualification too

The Indian pair set the tone before the final. In qualification, Agarwal topped the field with 629.1 points, a new Asian Para Games qualification record that passed the old mark held by China's Zhang Cuiping, IANS reported. That score came close to the world record of 629.4, held jointly by Lekhara and Slovakia's Veronika Vadovicova. Lekhara qualified second with 626.4 points, so the top two places in qualification and the top two places in the final were both Indian.

The men's final

India did not win a medal in the men's 10m air rifle standing SH1 final. Swaroop Unhalkar finished fourth, just off the podium, and Rakesh Nidagundi finished seventh, The Bridge reported. Both had qualified for the final as the last two entrants.

For India, the women's result is the start that matters. One gold, one silver, two Games records in one event, and both shooters now holding Los Angeles 2028 quota places. The medal count is open, and it opened with India first and second on the same podium.