Polio at 9 months, gold at 38: Mona Agarwal thanks grandmother for keeping faith

Mona Agarwal, a 38-year-old mother of two from Sikar in Rajasthan, contracted polio at the age of nine months. Her paternal grandmother, Geeta Devi, supported her upbringing with her savings. At the Para Asian Games in Japan's Nagoya, Mona clinched the gold medal in the 10-m Air Rifle Standing event, setting a new Para Asian Games record of 250.0.

She also took the silver medal, narrowly missing her teammate Avani Lekhara, a two-time Paralympic champion. Mona expressed her gratitude to her grandmother, saying, "I dedicate this medal to her." Her father, Prem Chand Agarwal, recounted how she overcame her polio condition through hard work and willpower. Mona's husband, Ravindra Chaudhary, also supported her sports career.

Despite recent setbacks, including nerve damage in her spine, Mona persevered with rigorous rehabilitation and adjustments to her shooting technique.