Sheetal Devi, an 18-year-old para-archery champion from Jammu and Kashmir, once again made history by breaking all barriers between para-sports and able-bodied competition. She wins a spot on India's junior team for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Sheetal was born without arms due to a rare condition known as phocomelia. Leaving behind her problems, she earned the name for her incredible skill, shooting an arrow with her mouth and holding the bow with her feet. Her latest achievement is perhaps her most groundbreaking yet.
In a four-day national selection trial held in Sonipat, Sheetal competed equally with over 60 of the country’s best able-bodied archers. It is extremely commendable on her part that she did not choose a separate place but was fighting for the same spot as everyone else.
She proved she belongs
Sheetal Devi finished the trials by securing a third place, which positioned her in the team. She proved her performance is no less than that of a healthy athlete by matching the top qualifier, Tejal Salve’s score of 703 in the qualification round (352 in the first and 351 in the second). This victory makes her the first-ever para-athlete from India to be selected for an able-bodied international competition.
In the final, Sheetal secured the third place with 11.75 points by defeating Maharashtra’s Dnyaneshwari Gadadhe by 0.25 points. The first place was taken by Tejal with 15.75 points, and Vaidehi Jadhav took the second place with 15 points.
"When I started competing, I had a small dream - to one day compete alongside the able-bodied. I did not make it at first, but I kept going, learning from every setback. Today, that dream is one step closer,” Sheetal wrote on social media after the announcement, cited by The Hindu.
This achievement was followed by several wins, including gold medals at the Asian Para Games and World Champions, as well as a bronze at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
Sheetal Devi is now one of India’s best archers. While she prepares for the Asia Cup in Jeddah next month, she would not just carry her bow but hopes and love from the nation, and hence she proves that “barriers are only meant to be broken.”
