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The story of India’s Paralympic archer Sheetal Devi was already a marvelous one before she even arrived in Paris. The 17-year-old is one of four armless archers competing, and the only woman. Her star reached new heights when she hit the perfect bull’s-eye in the opening round of her competition. A video of the moment soon went viral.
Since Devi doesn’t have arms, she uses other parts of her body—namely her feet and mouth—to load and fire a bow and arrow. The young athlete was born in 2007 without fully formed arms due to a rare congenital disorder known as phocomelia, which leads to underdeveloped limbs.
Despite her physical challenges, Devi has been described as “athletically gifted.” As a child, she even enjoyed climbing trees and other activities that built strength in her upper body. In 2021, she discovered the world of archery following an Army even. Her indomitable spirit soon had her competing among the abled archers at the national competitions. In 2023, she won silver at the world championships and two golds and one silver at the Asian Para Games, on top of claiming the No. 1 spot in the rankings for para compound archers.
Devi’s perfect bull’s-eye happened during the 1/8 elimination round of the women’s individual compound open event. Sadly, despite her thrilling opening shot, she lost to Chile’s Mariana Zúñiga by one point. The result was particularly heartbreaking as she had finished second in the ranking round. Despite the setback, the Indian archer had another chance at Paralympic glory and took it, winning bronze along with Rakesh Kumar in the mixed compound archery event.
After receiving her medal, Devi took to social media to give a shoutout to her mom, who was the key to her success. “In early 2022, when I started a new chapter, Maa courageously left behind the comfort of her village, family, and friends, and fearlessly embraced the unknown, overcoming language barriers and standing by me at every step of the way. Her unwavering love and support mean everything to me,” Devi writes. “She is my world.”
To stay up to date with this young athlete’s promising career, you can follow Devi on Instagram.
India’s Sheetal Devi, one of four armless archers competing at the Paris Paralympics, dazzled the world when she hit the perfect bull’s-eye in the opening round of the women’s individual compound.
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Sheetal Devi: Instagram
h/t: [Today]
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