India's armless archer Sheetal Devi makes heads turn with 3 medals at Asian Para Games

Digital Desk: 16-year-old Sheetal Devi was the star in Hangzhou. The Indian archer, who won two gold and a silver medal at the Asian Para Games, has been in incredible form. She uses her legs to sight and shoot the arrow. As the only female international archer to shoot with her feet in the modern era, Sheetal won in the Chinese city, contributing to India's medal surge on Friday morning.

Sheetal Devi had a tough challenge in the gold medal match in the individual women's compound archery against Singapore's Alim Nur Syahidah, following her victories in the mixed team compound event and the women's doubles compound archery.

The 16-year-old showed the poise of an experienced archer under pressure, coming up with six straight ten rings in the final two rounds to overcome a deficit and bring home another gold medal for her nation.

Sheetal, a resident of the remote village of Loi Dhar in the Jammu and Kashmir area of Kishtwar, was born with phocomelia, a rare congenital condition that causes underdeveloped limbs. Her journey from her untamed, alpine origins to the world of international competition is proof of the resilience of the human spirit.

In 2019, Sheetal's journey began when the Indian Army noticed her during a youth athletics function in Kishtwar. Initially, the plan was to get her a prosthetic arm, but when that didn't work out, she was introduced to archery. Sheetal struggled at first, but she continued, training for months until she could raise the bow correctly.

Only in 2022 did Sheetal take an interest in archery, and her perspective on parasports was altered by a trip to the national finals.

Kuldeep Kumar, Sheetal’s coach told World Archery “I told her to come to the academy and see other people shooting. She progressed rapidly. I took her to the national championships. She was excited and saw many para archers with different disabilities. She quickly got interested in the sport.”

She sits on a chair raises the bow with her right leg, aiming, and pulls the string back with her right shoulder. Her coach has made her a little instrument that she holds in her mouth to help her release the arrow.

Sheetal made headlines in 2023 after placing second in the Para-Archery World Championship held in the Czech Republic.

Sheetal uses her feet to handle the bow and arrow, a technique inspired by the famous armless archer Matt Stutzman. Notably, Sheetal met Stutzman at the World Archery Para Championships in Pilsen earlier this year and the legendary Para archer also shot with her bow.

The teenager's journey has only begun. The feeling of watching the national flag hoisted in Hangzhou must have given Sheetal an extra dose of motivation to keep doing what she does best - breaking perceptions hit the bull's eye.