Mona Agarwal had promised herself that celebrations could wait until her second event was over. On Friday, the Indian shooter finally had every reason to celebrate, signing off from the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games with a world record and two gold medals.
The Paris Paralympic bronze medallist shot 357.5 in the women’s 50m rifle three positions SH1 final at the Aichi Prefecture General Shooting Gallery, improving Sweden’s Anna Benson’s world mark of 356.
China’s Cuiping Zhang finished 3.8 points behind to take silver, while Korea’s Miyoung Kim claimed bronze. India’s Avani Lekhara, who had been in medal contention, finished fourth.
Mona’s Patience Pays Off
Mona had opened her campaign with gold in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1, setting a Games record of 250.0 and edging compatriot Avani by just 0.4 points.
Her approach throughout the competition was simple: trust the training and avoid getting distracted by the scoreboard.
“I kept repeating my process, stayed relaxed, and trusted myself and my process. I remembered God, loaded the shot and fired,” she said after her opening victory.
The Jaipur shooter, who began competitive shooting only in 2021, had also spoken about postponing celebrations until the 50m event. The decision paid off handsomely.
China’s Yang Completes Golden Double
China’s four-time Paralympic champion Chao Yang matched Mona’s two-gold haul, winning the open 25m pistol SH1 and open 50m pistol SH1 titles.
Yang also collected bronze in the men’s 10m air pistol SH1, making him the only shooter to win three medals in Nagoya.
China topped the shooting standings with five gold medals and 11 medals overall. Chao Dong, Cuiping Zhang and Jianxiong Gao were the country’s other gold medallists.
Korea, Iran and Kazakhstan Celebrate
Korea finished second with three gold medals and a competition-high 15 medals.
Jeongdu Jo added the men’s 10m air pistol SH1 title to his Paralympic and world championship crowns.
“I dedicated the Paralympic Games gold medal to my first son, and I wanted to dedicate the Asian Para Games gold to my second son. Now I can,” he said. Jangho Lee and Huntae Seo also struck gold for Korea.
Iran’s Faezeh Ahmadi retained her women’s 10m air pistol SH1 crown, while Kazakhstan’s Yerkin Gabbasov won the men’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 title.
Thailand’s Anuson Chaichamnan claimed the remaining gold in the open 10m air rifle prone SH2.
India finished third in the shooting standings with five medals, including Mona’s two golds, Avani’s silver, Manish Narwal’s silver and Shrishti Arora’s bronze.Medal standings: China 5 gold, 11 total; Republic of Korea 3 gold, 15 total; India 2 gold, 5 total.
