Editor’s Note
This article highlights a landmark achievement in para sports, as 18-year-old Sheetal Devi of India becomes the first armless archer to win a gold medal at the World Para Archery Championships. Her victory over the world number one is a testament to extraordinary skill and determination.
NEW DELHI: India’s 18-year-old Sheetal Devi made history on Saturday by becoming the first armless archer to win a gold medal at the World Para Archery Championships. Saturday saw two world champions for India, bringing the country’s total medal tally to five so far. Sheetal created history during the day, winning the gold medal in the women’s compound individual event by defeating Turkey’s world number one para archer, Öznur Kür Girdi, 146-143.
Sheetal is the only armless para archer in the competition. She uses her feet and chin to aim, and this is her third medal at the championships. Previously, the gold medal for an armless archer was won by the USA’s Matt Stutzman during the 2022 Dubai World Championships, where he stood atop the podium.
Earlier, Sheetal and Sarita won the silver medal after losing to Turkey in the final of the compound women’s open team event. Sheetal also won a bronze medal in the compound mixed team event with Toman Kumar. Then, Toman Kumar claimed the title in the compound men’s category because another Indian, Rakesh Kumar, was forced to withdraw due to a technical issue, leading to his 20-40 loss in the final. Rakesh, a Paris Paralympics bronze medalist, had to withdraw after four shots due to a ‘pulley’ problem in his bow. This allowed Toman, making his World Championships debut, to claim the title with four accurate arrows.
The individual final was tense, but Sheetal maintained composure and shot consistently. The first round was tied 29-29, but Sheetal gained an advantage in the second round, winning it 30-27 with three shots of 10-10. The third round was also tied 29-29. In the fourth round, Sheetal missed by a narrow margin, scoring 28 points, and Girdi won it by one point. However, Sheetal still maintained a two-point lead with a score of 116-114. After that, she secured her first gold medal by scoring 30 points with three accurate arrows in the final round.