Mona Agarwal, a mother of two, would get emotional every day at the shooting complex when her children would innocently explain on video calls that she had forgotten the way back home and would have to take the help of GPS to get back. Mona, 37, who was participating in the Paralympic Games for the first time, won the bronze medal in the women’s 10m air rifle on Friday.
She was in the race for the gold medal for a long time which eventually went to Avani Lekhara of India. After going through the struggles of staying away from her children and even facing financial problems, Mona fulfilled her dream of winning a medal at the Paralympics.
Mona told the media, “When I used to go for practice, I had to leave my children at home. This used to hurt my heart.” She said, “I used to video call them every day and they would tell me, ‘Mamma you have forgotten the way, put the GPS on and come back’.” She said, “I used to cry every evening while talking to my children … then I started calling them once a week.”
Mona also recalled facing financial difficulties among other obstacles. She said, “That was one of my toughest times, financial crisis was another big problem. I have struggled a lot financially to reach here. I was finally able to overcome all the struggles and obstacles and win a medal. I feel great.” Mona said, “This is my first Paralympics, I started shooting only two and a half years ago and it is great to win a medal within this period.”
Mona, who is suffering from polio, said that she left home in 2010 to make a career in sports but till 2016 she did not know that there was any scope for her in competitions like Paralympics. She said, “I did not know before 2016 that we can participate in any sport. When I realised that I can, I tried to convince myself that I can perform best in sports with my disability. I chose shooting after trying my hand in three-four sports.
