India opened their account at the 2026 Asian Para Games with a bang on Monday as Mona Agarwal picked up a gold medal and Avani Lekhara claimed a silver in the women’s 10-metre air rifle standing SH1 final, while para-archer Sheetal Devi matched the world record in the women’s compound ranking round.
Agarwal scored 250 points to bag the gold and surpass fellow Indian Lekhara by 0.4 points to create an Asian Para Games record, while Lee Yunri of South Korea finished third with 227.9 points, the Indian Express reported.
Agarwal had, in fact, scored 629.1 points in the qualification round to finish on top and set a new Games record. Lekhara was second in qualification with 626.4 points.
In para archery, Sheetal Devi matched the compound women’s world record of 704, which was also the Asian record, with the 19-year-old bettering her previous Asian mark of 698.
The outcomes handed India an early morale boost at the Aichi-Nagoya Games in Japan from Oct. 18 to 24.
Lekhara’s silver also earned India a quota for the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics, while Agarwal’s quota had already been booked through the World Championships, according to the paper.
