New Delhi, Mar 9 (PTI) Mona Agarwal always wanted to be a top-notch para athlete. She tried her hand at shot put, javelin, discus throw and even powerlifting, excelling in each one of them.

But the the polio-stricken para athlete finally got her stardom in shooting as the 37-year-old on Saturday opened India’s account at the Para Shooting World Cup here with a gold in women’s 10m air rifle (SH1) event.

She even covered the length and breath of the country to scout for girls “motivated” enough to play para volleyball.

But her disability finally came in the way of her athletics career as she couldn’t go beyond a point. Recognising the limitations, Mona decided that she had to quit athletics and look for a sport that was more suited to her body.

On Saturday, she took a first major step towards achieving the ultimate goal of winning a Paraympic medal by securing a 2024 Pais Games berth at the Karni Singh ranges.

The shooter from Jaipur shot 618 in the qualification round to enter the eight-shooter final placed seventh. Her resoluteness came to the fore in the final as she beat back the challenge of China’s Zhang Cuiping to bag the gold with a score of 250.7.

“Before I took up shooting, I was a state-level para athlete. I have won gold medals in shot put, discus and javelin. I also did powerlifting and won three gold medals. But my body didn’t support (lifting weights).

“I am also the founder of the national para volleyball girls team. I travelled across India to motivate girls to take up the sport and we formed a team as well,” Mona told

Source: PTI News