Sheetal Devi breaks new ground, qualifies for India's able-bodied archery team for Asia Cup

Para-archer Sheetal Devi, the world compound champion born without arms, shattered another barrier

Para-archer Sheetal Devi, the world compound champion born without arms, shattered another barrier on Thursday by being picked in the Indian able-bodied junior team for the upcoming Asia Cup Stage 3 in Jeddah. Her selection marks another historic first for Sheetal -- the inclusion of a para-athlete in an Indian team for an able-bodied international competition.

"When I started competing, I had a small dream -- to one day compete alongside the able-bodied. I didn’t 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.

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Winner of a bronze medal in the mixed team compound event at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, Sheetal drew inspiration from Turkey's Paris Paralympic champion Oznur Cure Girdi, who also competes in able-bodied events at the world level.

Competing among more than 60 able-bodied archers from across the country under identical conditions, the 18-year-old from Jammu and Kashmir finished third overall in the rigorous four-day national selection trials held in Sonipat.

Sheetal scored 703 points in the qualification rounds -- 352 in the first and 351 in the second -- matching top qualifier Tejal Salve's total.

In the final rankings, Tejal (15.75 points) and Vaidehi Jadhav (15 points) took the top two spots, while Sheetal secured third place with 11.75 points, narrowly edging out Maharashtra’s Dnyaneshwari Gadadhe by 0.25 points.

Trained at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Sports Complex in Katra, Sheetal has already carved her name in history by becoming the first female armless world champion in para archery this year.

Teams Recurve:

Men: Rampal Choudhary (AAI), Rohit Kumar (Uttar Pradesh), Mayank Kumar (Haryana)

Women: Kondapavuluri Yuktha Sri (Andhra Pradesh), Vaishnavi Kulkarni (Maharashtra), Kratika Bichpuriya (Madhya Pradesh)

Compound:

Men: Pradhuman Yadav, Vasu Yadav, Devansh Singh (all Rajasthan)

Women: Tejal Salve, Vaidehi Jadhav (both Maharashtra), Sheetal Devi (Jammu and Kashmir)