Mona Agarwal won India's first gold medal at the Asian Para Games 2026 on Monday
Defending champion Avani Lekhara had to settle for the silver medal
Mona contracted polio when she was nine months old and started shooting in 2021
Mona Agarwal won the first gold medal for India at the Asian Para Games 2026 on Monday, October 19. She edged past the defending champion, Avani Lekhara, in the women's 10m air rifle standing SH1 event to seal the medal.
However, life was never easy for Mona. She was just nine months old when she contracted polio, which left her in a wheelchair for her entire life. Born in Sikar, Rajasthan, she was also ridiculed for being the third daughter in the family.
On Monday, Mona finished with a score of 250.0 points, while Avani came second with 249.6 points. South Korea's Lee Yunri won the bronze medal with 227.9 points. In the process, Paris bronze medallist Mona Agarwal also scripted history as she broke the Games record. She has already qualified for the 2028 LA Paralympics, having won the silver medal at the 2026 World Championships.
Who Is Mona Agarwal?
Mona contracted polio when she was just nine months old. Being the third child in the family was already not considered ideal, and Mona suffered taunts all through her childhood. Things were tough, but Mona was tougher.
She continued her studies and, at 23, left home to pursue a career in HR and marketing.
Till 2016, Mona had no idea that something called parasports even existed. Once she learned about it, she started focusing on sports. Mona tried her hand at several disciplines and even did well in them before shifting to shooting in 2021.
Within three years, Mona made huge strides from being a newbie in the sport to landing on the Paralympic podium. Signs of this were visible when she took up rifle shooting.
In her very first international World Cup, Mona bagged a bronze in the mixed team event. In her fourth, she won gold and secured a Paralympic quota. She went on to win another World Cup gold medal, solidifying her place as a medal favourite in her event.
