Nagoya, Oct 19 (IANS) Indian para shooter Mona Agarwal said her ability to trust her process, remain focused, and recover from difficult situations helped her clinch gold in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 (R2) event at the Asian Para Games 2026, where she set a new Games record with a score of 250.0.
Mona finished ahead of compatriot Avani Lekhara, who secured silver with 249.6 points, while South Korea’s Yunri Lee took bronze with 227.9. The Indian duo delivered a one-two finish in the event, underlining the country’s strength in para shooting.
Reflecting on how she turned her performance around after a difficult phase in the competition, Mona said she concentrated on repeating her training routine rather than worrying about the outcome.
“I just knew that I had to repeat my process. I would definitely give my best and come back to the top. At that time, I did not think about what to do and how to do it. I kept repeating my process, stayed relaxed, and trusted myself and my process. I remembered God, loaded the shot and fired,” Mona said after winning gold.
Asked about her concentration and faith during competition, she added with a smile, “God is sitting next to me.”
Mona said recovering from difficult situations was something she had repeatedly practised during training, allowing her to remain composed even when her scores dipped.
“If you see my previous match records, it always happens that I go down and then slowly come back up. I think I have done the same in my practice. When things get worse, I try to control them and stabilise my performance again. I don't quit there. I don't quit in practice sessions either. I try to control it again and cover it up. I think the same strategy that I follow in training has helped me here,” she said.
The gold medal also represented a valuable lesson drawn from her previous Asian Games campaign, where she was eliminated in sixth place.
“When you lose or get eliminated, it is a little heartbreaking. But I feel that what I learned from there has helped me today. I always add what I have learned from my failures to my experience and prepare myself for the future,” she said.
Despite the achievement, Mona said she was keen to remain focused on the competition ahead rather than begin celebrations immediately. She is also scheduled to compete in the 50m three-position event.
“I have already received a lot of phone calls. Everyone is waiting, but I don't want to think about it right now. I have another 50m three-position match. I think I should take a day's break and return to my training. I will have unofficial training here, and I can think about the celebration after my next match,” she said.
Asked whether she hoped to receive a call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mona replied in the affirmative.
The shooter, who is from Jaipur, dedicated her medal to her mother-in-law for taking care of her children while she was away competing.
“I want to dedicate this medal to my mother-in-law. She took care of my children in my absence. Because of her, I was able to focus on my performance. I didn't have to worry about how to take care of such young children,” she said.
Mona also challenged the perception that vegetarian athletes cannot excel in sport, saying she wanted to prove that dietary choices need not be a barrier to success.
“People think that vegetarians cannot move forward in sports. I came here to break this thought. I am purely vegetarian,” she said, adding that the Indian contingent had managed its dietary requirements in Japan with rice, available food options and Indian spices and chutney brought from home.
--IANS
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