Avani Lekhara’s Life Beyond Olympic Gold Has Law Books, Lost Battles, and Hard-Won Freedom

Avani Lekhara's latest silver medal came with a rather cruel decimal. At the 2026 Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya, the two-time Paralympic champion scored 249.6 in the women's 10m air rifle standing SH1 final, finishing just 0.4 points behind compatriot Mona Agarwal.

Yet the Jaipur-born shooter's most intriguing accomplishments extend beyond podium finishes. From pursuing a law degree and dreaming of becoming a judge to conquering her fear of driving after a childhood accident, Lekhara has built a life where independence commands as much attention as international glory.

Avani Lekhara's Journey

Avani Lekhara Dreamed of a Judge's Gavel Before Olympic Gold

Long before shooting brought Lekhara international recognition, she had considered a completely different profession: the judiciary. In a 2021 interview with Vogue India, she explained, "Even before I started shooting, I wanted to be a judge. There aren't many female judges in our judiciary and I want to change that."

That ambition makes her sporting career considerably more fascinating. Lekhara was pursuing a five-year integrated law degree at Rajasthan University while competing internationally, juggling professional training with coursework and examinations.
By 2023, she had reached her final year and admitted that managing both responsibilities was demanding. Her competition equipment could weigh over 80 kilograms, making digital study materials particularly convenient during international travel.

Her introduction to shooting was equally unconventional. After a 2012 car accident caused a spinal cord injury, Lekhara spent an extended period recovering. The disruption also affected her schooling and confidence.

Her father, Praveen Lekhara, subsequently encouraged her to explore sports, while Abhinav Bindra's autobiography, A Shot at History, helped ignite her interest in competitive shooting.

She began training in Jaipur in 2015. Inadequate wheelchair access and the absence of suitable personal equipment complicated her introduction to the sport. Those circumstances make her later achievements more substantial, particularly when considering the structural barriers athletes with disabilities continue to encounter.
Her training eventually incorporated yoga, pranayama, breathing exercises, and mental conditioning. As she explained to Hindustan Times, controlling breathing and maintaining concentration are crucial when competing against the world's finest shooters.

Learning to Drive Became Another Defining Victory

There is something profoundly personal about Lekhara's return to the driver's seat, particularly because her relationship with automobiles changed drastically after the accident. Speaking at the India Today Mumbai Conclave in September 2024, she recalled developing considerable anxiety around vehicles, especially large trucks. Travelling independently also became difficult because she frequently required assistance.

However, observing other para-athletes driving themselves encouraged her to reconsider those limitations. Her family arranged modifications to a car's braking system, allowing her to learn with adaptive controls. Lekhara admitted that the experience was initially intimidating, recalling, "It was a thrilling experience for me, and at some point I wanted to stop."

She credited supportive instructors for helping her continue. Her sporting career has followed an equally demanding trajectory. At Paris 2024, Lekhara successfully defended her Paralympic title with a Games-record 249.7. Two years later, she earned World Championship bronze in Changwon before narrowly missing another Asian Para Games gold in Nagoya.

That silver also secured an LA28 Paralympic quota for India, keeping another Olympic-cycle ambition within reach. Lekhara's story deserves better than the customary inspirational packaging reserved for para-athletes. She is a fiercely competitive shooter, a law graduate with judicial ambitions, and a woman who has spoken candidly about the practical difficulties of independence.

Her latest medal may have slipped from gold to silver by 0.4 points, yet that tiny margin cannot adequately measure her achievements. With Los Angeles 2028 approaching, could Lekhara add another Paralympic gold to a career already distinguished by remarkable tenacity? Share your thoughts below and follow MyKhel for more stories beyond the scoreboard.