India has ten shooters who will represent the country in Paris Paralympics. According to chief coach Jaiprakash Nautiyal, the awareness of para shooting has increased since the Tokyo Paralympics.
India thus had a wider pool of shooters to choose from and eventually 10 of the best will be representing India at the Paris Paralympics. Avani Lekhara became India’s first woman to win a Paralympic gold in Tokyo when she won the 10 m air rifle standing position in the SH1 category. She added a bronze to her kitty in Tokyo in the tough 50 m rifle 3 position event. She is currently ranked world number 1 in the 10 m air rifle. Avani thus hopes to come away from Paris with 2 medals.
Another experienced shooter Manish Narwal won a gold in Tokyo in the mixed 50 m pistol SH1 category. He also won a bronze in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou in the 10 m air pistol. India’s young sensation Rudransh Khandelwal won a silver in the world para shooting in Delhi in March 2024. This followed his 2 golds at the 2023 Osjek world para shooting. Rudransh also set a world record in the P4 mixed 50 m pistol in Croatia.
Aggarwal is a 37-year-old who has blossomed late in her career winning a silver in air rifle 10 m and gold in the 10 m air rifle mixed at the world para shooting cup in Delhi in 2024.Siddharth Babu will be competing in 2 mixed events — the R3 mixed 10 m air rifle prone with Avani and the R1 mixed 50 m rifle prone with Mona . Both teams are in with a chance to win medals in Paris.
