Mona Agarwal defies a strong field to win silver at the Para Shooting World Cup

Hailing from Sikar, Rajasthan, Agarwal was affected by polio at a young age of nine months. With her father running a hardware shop in Sikar, Agarwal would initially dabble in athletics, competing in events like discus throw, shot put, and javelin throw at state para games. Later, post her marriage in 2017, she opted for weight-lifting on the suggestion of her husband Ravindra Chaudhary, a former wheelchair basketball player.

It was only in 2021 that Agarwal started shooting under coach Yogesh Shekhawat at the Eklavya Shooting Academy in Jaipur and competed in her first WSPS World Cup in Croatia in 2023. While Lekhara missed major competitions in 2023 and early 2024 due to her gallbladder surgery, Agarwal would cement her place in the Indian para rifle shooting team.

Agarwal won her first WSPS World Cup medal in the form of gold medal in the WSPS World Cup in Delhi, in March last year, where she also won the Paris Paralympics quota for India before she paired up with Aadithya Giri to claim the mixed team air rifle standing (SH1) event silver medal in the same World Cup. One month later, Agarwal would again win a WSPS World Cup gold with the women’s R2 10m air rifle Standing SH1 final title in the WSPS World Cup in Changwon. In the Paris Paralympics, Agarwal claimed the bronze medal.

The long stretch of competitions from March last year meant that Agarwal faced problems with her posture and some nerve injuries. “Being in competition mode for more than six months starting March last year at the Paris Paralympics also meant that my body was overtired, and I would struggle with my posture. A lot of the time, my body will get stiff, and some nerves in my body will also be compressed due to prolonged hours of training. Post Paris, my main challenge was to balance training and my physical struggles,” says Agarwal.

On Saturday, Agarwal qualified for the eight-shooter final in second spot with a score of 620.6 behind Korea’s Yoojeong Lee’s score of 621.9, with another Korean and Paris silver medallist, Yunri Lee, in the third spot with a score of 620.0. Korean Miyoung Kim (619.9 points) would qualify at the fourth spot, followed by Lekhara (617.5), apart from Emilia Babska of Poland, compatriot Swaroop Unhalkar and Makhmudakhon Sobirova of Kazakhstan. “With three Korean shooters competing at their home range, finishing second in qualification gave Mona the right kind of mental preparation before the final. Whenever she has competed in the final of the World Cup, she has always won a medal. Today’s medal is special given her struggles post Paris,” said Jaiprakash Nautiyal, chief coach Indian Para Shooting team.

In the final, Agarwal was placed at the fourth spot after the second series with Yunri Lee, Lekhara and Yoojeong Lee ahead of Agarwal. She composed herself in the elimination series and went all the way to the gold deciding round before Yunri Lee won the gold. “Though I started well, remaining in the top four after the end of the second series, I had my ups and downs in the elimination series. But I am glad my technique and shooting process clicked for me at crucial shots, and I could win the silver medal among the packed field consisting of three Koreans and Avani,” shared Agarwal.

The mother of two also had to meet the demands of her two children, six-year-old daughter Aarvi and four-year-old son Avik. “My children are my biggest strength. Neither of my children has called me for the last 3-4 days, knowing that I am competing. When I used to call them, they would say Mumma, aap competition ki taiyari karo. The only thing they ask is to get lots of toys from the local markets, from whichever country I go,” says Agarwal.