Paralympics 2024: Who is Sheetal Devi? 17-year-old scripts archery world record

With the Paralympics 2024 ongoing in Paris, India sent their biggest-ever contingent, and will be aiming to get their best-ever medal haul. India’s 17-year-old Sheetal Devi scripted history on Thursday as she became the youngest competitor in women’s para archery, and was second with a personal best mark of 703 in the individual compound rankings rounds, and also bagged a new mixed compound world record of 1399 with partner Rakesh Kumar.
The para-archer was born with a condition called phocomelia, which led to her being born without arms. She is also one of four armless archers competing at the Paralympics. The mixed team compound archery quarter-final is scheduled for September 2.
Meanwhile, in the individual women’s compound, she came second, and was just a point away from the world record, which went to Turkey’s O. Cure, who got 704 points.
Sheetal was born on January 10 2007, in Kishtwar district in Jammu and Kashmir. In 2019, she was spotted by the Indian Army’s Rashtriya Rifles unit, through which she got the army to support her education and medical help.
Also according to doctors, prosthetics were not possible for Sheetal, but she surprised her coaches by her expertise in climbing trees using her legs.
Her coaches based her style on Matt Stutzman, who was also armless and used his legs for archery. Within 11 months of training, she took part in the women’s compound event at the 2022 Asian Para Games, and grabbed two gold medals. She won two gold medals in mixed doubles and women’s individual, after clinching silver in women’s double compound. She is the first and only international para-archery champion without upper limbs.
In 2023, she also got the Best Youth Athlete of the Year by the Asian Paralympic Committee. She also received the Arjuna Award in 2023 by the Government of India.