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'Hard-earned and well-deserved Gold': PM Modi, others laud Avani Lekhara
Lekhara won a gold for India in shooting at the ongoing Paralympics in Tokyo.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated shooter Avani Lekhara for her first-place finish in the ongoing Paralympic Games in Tokyo. Lekhara's gold is India's first medal in shooting in the current edition of the Paralympics.
Also Read | Tokyo Paralympics: Avani Lekhara wins gold medal in shooting event
"Phenomenal performance @AvaniLekhara! Congratulations on winning a hard-earned and well-deserved Gold, made possible due to your industrious nature and passion towards shooting. This is truly a special moment for Indian sports. Best wishes for your future endeavours," PM Modi tweeted minutes after she struck gold in the Japanese capital.
According to news agency ANI, the Prime Minister also spoke to the gold medallist, congratulating her on the victory. PM Modi called her win a "matter of great pride" while she expressed her happiness for the support she received from the whole nation.
Union home minister Amit Shah called Lekhara's achievement "historic." Shah posted the following message on Twitter (roughly translated from Hindi): "Many congratulations to @AvaniLekhara who, through her hard work and excellence won a gold in the Paralympics, and has made every Indian proud. The entire nation salutes your passion and dedication to bring glory to the tricolour."
Deepa Malik, who heads the Paralympic Committee of India, and was a medallist herself at the 2016 Rio Games, also congratulated Lekhara. "It's a Gold! Heartiest congratulations to @AvaniLekharafor winning India's first medal in #Parashooting. The young shooter kept her calm and won the medal by euqalling world record," Malik tweeted.
The young shooter's family also expressed their happiness over her achievement. "For me, there can be no greater happiness than this. This is the result of her hard work. I hope she brings a gold medal in the 50m shooting as well," her grandfather, GR Lekhara, told news agency ANI.
Lekhara's gold came in the women's 10m air rifle standing SH1 event. Her total score in the final stood at 249.6. She qualified for the final with a seventh-place finish and a total score of 621.7 in the qualification round.
