Shooter Avani Lekhara, who believes in aiming for the stars and for whom even a gold medal is not enough, took her stature among sportspersons to a new high as she claimed her second medal at the ongoing Paralympic Games in Tokyo.

The trailblazer became the first Indian woman to win two Paralympic medals when she claimed the 50m Rifle 3 Position SH1 bronze on Friday to add to an unprecedented gold she had earned in the 10m air rifle standing SH1 event just a few days back. The 19-year-old is not finished yet and she has her gun trained on the next target — the mixed 50m rifle prone SH1 event.

India’s tally so far in the Tokyo Paralympics is 13 medals. This is one better than the cumulative 12 the country won in Paralympics between 1968 and 2016.

In Friday’s competition, Avani qualified second with a score of 1176, including 51 inner 10s. Then, in the fiercely contested finals, Avani totalled 445.9 to finish ahead of Ukraine’s Iryna Shchetnik. Two-time champion Zhang Cuiping of China took the gold with a new Paralympic record of 457.9 while Germany’s Natascha Hiltrop won the silver with a score of 457.1.

“I was not satisfied with the gold… when I won the gold, I wanted to fire that last shot better. So this bronze is definitely not satisfying,” a smiling Avani said at a virtual media conference.

“...that’s what finals do to you, you become nervous. I am keeping all the celebrations aside and focusing on the next match, so that is my goal, to give my 100 per cent in the next event also,” she added, referring to the mixed event, which will be held on Sunday.

The Jaipur-based shooter, who was rendered immobile after a spinal cord injury in a car accident in 2012, was happy that her hard work bore fruit. “It is an amazing experience. I was really working hard for so many months. I gave my 100 per cent in the last shot,” she said.

Athletes in SH1 rifle event have an impairment in their legs, for example amputations or paraplegia. Some athletes compete in a seated position, while others take part in a standing position.

Prior to Avani, Joginder Singh Sodhi was the lone Indian to win multiple medals in the same edition of the Paralympic Games when he fetched one silver and two bronze medals in 1984. His silver came in shot put, while the bronze medals were won in discus and javelin throw.

What does Avani’s idol, 2008 gold medallist Abhinav Bindra, have to say about the young champion? “…take a bow young lady!… A performance for the ages!” Bindra tweeted.

That’s also the sentiment of the nation. Take a bow, Avani.