Tokyo Paralympics: Avani Lekhara fails to qualify for Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone SH1 final
Tokyo,(PTI): Shooter Avani Lekhara, who became India's first female gold medallist in Paralympic Games two days ago, failed to replicate her success as she crashed out in the qualification round of the mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone SH1 event here on Wednesday.
The SH1 (Rifle) allows individuals with no impairment in the upper limbs but an impairment in either/both the lower limbs to compete.
Lekhara was not at her usual best as she she finished a disappointing 27th with a score of 629.7, crashing out in the third round.
Other Indian para shooters in the men's event, Sidhartha Babu and Deepak Kumar witnessed a horrible outing, finishing 40th and 43rd respectively with scores of 625.5 and 624.9 at the Asaka Shooting Range.
The gold in this event was won by Germany's Natascha Hiltrop, while silver and bronze were bagged by South Korean Park Jinho and Ukraine's Iryna Schetnik.
The 19-year-old Lekhara created history in her debut Games, winning India's first Paralympic medal in shooting with a gold in R2 women's 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1.
Lekhara, who sustained spinal cord injuries in a car accident in 2012, had finished with a world record equalling total of 249.6, which is also a new Paralympic record.
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Kerala | Setback for LDF in Pathanamthitta: Party worker keeps his word, shaves off moustache
Pathanamthitta: The Left Democratic Front (LDF) suffered a major setback in the local body elections in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district, with the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) emerging with a clear advantage. Amid this political defeat, an LDF worker drew public attention by keeping a promise he had made before the polls.
Babu Varghese, an LDF activist, had publicly declared ahead of the election that he would shave off his trademark moustache if the LDF failed to retain the Pathanamthitta Municipality. After the results were announced and the party lost control of the municipality, Varghese followed through on his promise and shaved his moustache.
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The loss of the Pathanamthitta Municipality has come as a significant blow to the Left parties at the local level.
In addition, the UDF secured majorities in 34 Gram Panchayats and seven Block Panchayats across the district. In the municipal elections as well, the UDF won three municipalities, two of which were previously under Left control.
LDF party worker Babu Varghese, who had vowed to shave his moustache if the LDF failed to win the Pathanamthitta Municipality, has now gone through with it after the party’s defeat. #Pathanamthitta #LDF #KeralaLocalBodyElection2025 #KeralaLocalBodyElection pic.twitter.com/gxQ9dKFQSt
— Harish M (@chnmharish) December 13, 2025
