Tokyo Games gold medallist Manish Narwal delivered a strong performance before securing a silver medal in the men’s 10m Air Pistol SH1 event at the Paris Paralympics. Narwal achieved a score of 234.9, contributing to India’s overall medal tally of four in the ongoing games. The gold went to South Korea’s Jeongdu Jo, who topped the event with a score of 237.4, while China’s Chao Yang claimed the bronze with a score of 214.3. The 22-year-old Narwal, who previously won gold in the Mixed 50m Pistol event at the Tokyo Paralympics, initially led the final round after stage 2 but eventually slipped to second place behind Jeongdu Jo.
This silver marks India’s third shooting medal of the day, following impressive performances by Avani Lekhara and Mona Agarwal in the women’s 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 event, where they won gold and bronze, respectively. Mona, making her debut at the Paris Paralympics, secured India’s first medal of the Games.
In her final, Avani set a new Paralympic record by finishing with a total score of 249.7, surpassing her previous best of 249.6 set during the Tokyo Games. She dominated the eight-player competition to clinch the top spot. Meanwhile, Mona Agarwal, who had briefly led during the final shots, finished with a score of 228.7 to win the bronze medal.
Earlier in the day, Preeti Pal added another bronze to India’s tally in the women’s 100m – T35 event, achieving her personal best time of 14.21 seconds at the Stade de France. China’s Zhou Xia, the world record holder, won gold in 13.58 seconds, with her compatriot Guo Qianqian taking silver in 13.74 seconds.
India’s athletes have shown remarkable performances at the Paris Paralympics, earning praise and raising hopes for more success. Manish Narwal’s silver medal further highlights the strength and resilience of the Indian team in shooting events, while Avani Lekhara continues to build her legacy as one of India’s top Paralympians. With more events to come, India’s contingent is set to chase further glory at the games.
