Mona Agarwal secured LA 2028 Paralympic quota with silver at World Championships

File image: Mona Agarwal (PTI Photo) NEW DELHI: Indian para shooter Mona Agarwal secured a quota place for the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles after winning silver in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 event at the WSPS World Championships in Changwon, South Korea on Thursday.The 38-year-old finished with a score of 250.0, just 0.2 points behind 22-year-old Serbian Kristina Trifunovic, who claimed gold with 250.2. The top two finishers qualified for the coveted Paralympic quota, meaning Agarwal’s silver earned India its first quota in the event.For Agarwal, the achievement also marked her first World Championship medal. She previously won silver in the same event last year at the Changwon World Cup.

From missing the quota by 0.3 to securing a place in LA

The quota was particularly significant for Agarwal due to her experience at the 2023 World Cup, where she narrowly missed out on qualification.“The last time I participated in the World Cup in 2023, I missed the quota by 0.3. It was my second international match and I was very nervous,” Agarwal told RevSportz.“Those memories are still fresh in my mind. This time I participated with all the knowledge and I am happy that I could achieve what I wanted. So this time the performance and medals mean a lot to me,” she added.Agarwal, who hails from Sikar in Rajasthan and suffered from polio as a child, won a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.She remembered another memorable moment from her trip.“I remember in March 2024 during the World Cup in New Delhi, I was told that you have the last quota ‘bacha-hua’. I thought that too was glory, but this time I am thankful to almighty that he supported me and I could secure the first quota place,” she said.

Avani wins the bronze thereby winning the gold for India

Gold medalist from the Paris Paralympics Avani Lekhara also finished on the podium, taking bronze with 229.4. However, she failed to secure a quota as only the top two players are eligible.Agarwal and Lekhara together helped India win the team gold medal in the event.Agarwal has already set her sights on Los Angeles.“In 2028, I want the medal color to change to gold and I also plan to secure a medal in the 50m event because if I win one, it would be my first success in the 50m,” she said.“In shooting and para-shooting, the quota place belongs to the country and not to the individual athlete providing it. The final list of participants is decided through trials and evaluations closer to the Games.”