Paris Paralympics 2024 Para Shooting: Avani Lekhara finishes 5th in the women's 50m rifle 3 positions SH1

India para shooter Avani Lekhara, who has already claimed a gold medal, showed a valiant effort in the Women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions SH1 Final at the Paris 2024 Paralympics but narrowly missed out on a podium finish, securing fifth place with a total score of 420.6.

Germany's Natascha Hiltrop claimed the gold medal with 456.5 points, while Veronika Vadovičová of Slovakia took silver, and China's Zhang Cuiping took home the bronze.

Starting strong in the kneeling position, Avani tied for the lead with a score of 51.1 after the first series. However, she experienced a dip in performance during the prone stage, slipping to sixth place with 301.5 points. Despite a challenging first series in the standing position, where she shot an 8.3, Avani fought back with a solid 10.6, elevating her total to 411.6 and advancing to fifth place.

As the competition progressed, the pressure intensified, and with six shooters remaining, every shot became crucial. In a decisive moment, Avani shot a 9.3 while her closest competitor, Israel's Doron Shchetnik, posted a 10.5, but was still eliminated. Shortly after Avani shot 9.3 and Sweden's Anna Benson hit 9.9 getting Avani Lekhara eliminated.

Women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions SH1 Final Results:

1. Natascha Hiltrop (Germany) - Kneeling: 149.0, Prone: 307.1, Standing: 406.4 - Total Score: 456.5
2. Veronika Vadovičová (Slovakia) - Kneeling: 149.8, Prone: 305.9, Standing: 406.0 - Total Score: 456.1
3. Zhang Cuiping (China) - Kneeling: 151.5, Prone: 304.3, Standing: 405.2 - Total Score: 446.0
4. Anna Benson (Sweden) - Kneeling: 146.6, Prone: 303.8, Standing: 402.2 - Total Score: 432.6
5. Avani Lekhara (India) - Kneeling: 150.9, Prone: 301.5, Standing: 400.7 - Total Score: 420.6
6. Iryna Shchetnik (Ukraine) - Kneeling: 149.9, Prone: 303.3, Standing: 400.0 - Total Score: 410.5
7. Lee Yunri (South Korea) - Kneeling: 148.5, Prone: 298.5, Standing: 398.7 - Total Score: 398.7
8. Natalie Smith (Australia) - Kneeling: 150.8, Prone: 300.7, Standing: 396.2 - Total Score: 396.2

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How did Avani Lekhara do in the qualification stage?

Avani Lekhara secured her place in the final of the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions event, finishing seventh in the qualification round at the Châteauroux shooting range on Tuesday.

The 22-year-old shooter achieved a total score of 1159, which included 59 inner tens, with an impressive average score of 9.658 across the three stages: kneeling, prone, and standing.

In the kneeling position, Avani scored a 97 in each of the four series, with a total of 388 points. She continued her strong performance in the prone position, where she shot another two series of 97, followed by two series of 98, bringing her total in that stage to 390 points.

Although Avani Lekhara recorded a lower score of 381 in the standing stage, her earlier performance provided enough cushion to maintain her seventh-place standing and advance to the final.

Meanwhile, Mona Agarwal narrowly missed out on the final, finishing in 13th place with a total score of 1147, an average of 9.558, and 38 inner tens, falling just short of the cutoff for the final.

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