A mother of two, Mona Agarwal used to cry every single day at the shooting range when her kids on video calls would innocently claim that she had forgotten her way back home and she must put the address on GPS and return. On Friday, participating in her maiden Paralympics, the 37-year-old Mona clinched the bronze medal in women’s 10m air rifle after gunning for the gold medal in the final, which eventually went to India’s Avani Lekhara.
Having gone through the struggles of being away from her children and even facing financial problems, Mona eventually achieved her dream of winning a medal in a competition that she, by her own admission, did not know existed.
“When I came for my practice I left my kids behind at home. I was heartbroken,” Mona told the media.
“Everyday I would make video calls to them and they would tell me, ‘mumma aap raasta bhool gaye ho, GPS pe laga ke wapas aa jao!’ (mumma, you have forgotten the way back home. Please put it on the GPS and come back!).”
“I used to cry every evening when I would speak with my kids… I then started calling them once a week,” she said.
Mona also recalled facing financial difficulties among other hurdles.
“That was my toughest part, the financial crisis was another. I did feel the financial load which I took to get here. But at the end, I am through all the struggles and hurdles and have been able to achieve a medal, and I am feeling great,” she said.
“This is my first Paralympics, I just started shooting two-and-a-half years back and within this period I reached this platform and performed my best and achieved my (goal of winning a) medal,” Mona added.
Mona, who is polio-stricken, said while she had left home in 2010 to make a career in sports, till 2016 she did not know there was a scope for her in competitions like the Paralympics.
“Before 2016, I was not even aware that we could participate in any of the games. When I realised that I can, I tried understanding which game I can participate in with my disability and in which game I can perform my best with my situation. After (trying out) 3-4 games, I chose shooting,” she said.
When asked about how her family, neighbours and relatives would be feeling today, Mona said, “They are all very excited because in 2010 I left my home just to fulfil my dreams, there were objections like ‘we will not accept your game’ or ‘we will not let you in’.” “There were so many restrictions, but today, they are all with me and feeling proud,” she said.
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