Caxias do Sul: In the Men’s 10m Air Pistol final, Abhinav Deshwal beat Oleksii Lazebnyk of Ukraine in a shoot-off to win India’s third gold and fifth overall at the current Deaflympics 2021 in Caxias do Sul, Brazil.
The 14-year-old kept his composure in a dramatic final that included a gold medal shoot-off against Oleksii Lazebnyk of Ukraine. Deshwal shot a 10.3 in the shoot-off while Lazebnyk buckled under duress and could only manage a 9.7, settling for silver.
Shooting: Abhinav Deshwal won Gold medal in Men’s 10M Air Pistol at the 24th #Deaflympics2021 in Caxias do Sul, Brazil@ianuragthakur
@ISSF_Shooting pic.twitter.com/eq9egsnSkw— PB-SHABD (@PBSHABD) May 7, 2022
Deshwal’s gold had taken India’s medal tally to five at the quadrennial event with three gold and two bronze medals.
| Athlete | Event | Medal |
|---|---|---|
| Dhanush Srikanth | Men’s 10m air rifle | Gold |
| Shourya Saini | Men’s 10m air rifle | Bronze |
| Badminton Team | Mixed Team | Gold |
| Vedika Sharma | Women’s 10m air pistol | Bronze |
| Abhinav Deshwal | Men’s 10m air pistol | Gold |
Dhanush Srikanth and Shourya Saini of the men’s 10m air rifle team won gold and bronze, respectively, followed by another gold for the badminton team.
On Thursday, Vedika Sharma took bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol event.
The five medals earned in this edition of the Deaflympics bring India’s total to five, matching the count from the previous event in 2017 (one gold, one silver, and three bronze).
Meanwhile, India has sent 65 athletes to compete in 11 sports, making it the country’s largest delegation in the Deaflympics since its inception in 1965.
