Most Indians know about Abhinav Bindra, the retired sport shooter. Winner of the Padma Bhushan and the Arjuna Award for Shooting, he has won what many will call the ultimate medal – the Olympic gold medal. He is one of the only 2 Indians who have won an individual gold medal in the Olympics. He has also won seven medals at the Commonwealth Games and three medals at the Asian games. Veritably, his name will go down in history. He has earned the honour.

But while we acknowledge the medals India wins in the Olympics, it is equally important for the country to recognize the medals it wins at the Paralympics. It is unfortunate that most people in the country don’t even have an idea of what the Paralympics are – they are a periodic series of international multi-sport events, just like the Olympics. But the catch? It is only for the athletes who have a physical disability.

Avani Lekhra, an Indian Paralympian, won two medal for India at the Pralympic Games in Tokyo (2020). She became the first woman to win a gold medal at the Paralympics. Since then, she has come a long way – and recently, she has become world number one in 2 para shooting categories: the R2 (Women’s 10m Air Rifle SH1) and the R8 (Women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions SH1) events. She has also won the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award for Paralympic Shooting and the Padma Shri. The 20-year-old sure has a promising career ahead of her.