At the Paris 2024 Paralympics, Sheetal Devi, the armless archer from India, delivered a commendable performance by finishing second in the ranking round of the women’s individual compound open archery event on Thursday. Despite being born without arms and employing her legs to shoot, Sheetal Devi achieved an impressive score of 703 out of a possible 720, surpassing the previous world record of 698 set by Great Britain’s Phoebe Pine Paterson earlier in the month.

However, she finished just behind Turkey’s Öznur Cüre, who made history by setting a new world record with a score of 704. Iran’s Fatemeh Hemmati secured third place with a score of 696. Cüre expressed her joy in achieving her lifelong dream, stating, “I dreamed about this every night for the last three years… I was able to control my body and my shooting and achieve my goal.”

The top four archers from the ranking round qualified for direct advancement to the round of 16, bypassing the initial round of 32. In her opening match, Sheetal may face Chile’s Mariana Zuniga, who placed 15th in the event. Sheetal expressed confidence, noting, “I have started strongly with a good performance. If I can maintain this level and continue improving, I believe I can win a medal for India and make my nation proud.”

Though Sheetal Devi narrowly missed the record in the individual competition, she redeemed herself in the team event. Competing alongside Rakesh Kumar, the duo recorded a new world record score of 1399 in the compound mixed team qualification, surpassing the previous record held by Rakesh and Sarita by one point. Rakesh garnered fifth place in the men’s individual event with a score of 696.

Sheetal Devi was born with phocomelia, a rare congenital disorder that results in underdeveloped limbs, leading to incomplete formation of her arms. Her remarkable achievements include two gold medals at the recent Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, making her the first Indian woman to achieve such a feat in a single edition of the Games. Additionally, she secured a silver medal in the individual event at the 2023 World Championships in Plzen.

As the competition progresses at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, the world will undoubtedly keep a keen eye on this extraordinary athlete who continues to inspire many with her tenacity and skill.

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