ARMLESS ARCHER STUNS CROWD WITH AN AMAZING BULLS-EYE DURING PARIS PARALYMPICS OPENING ROUND
Even before she set foot in Paris, the tale of India's Paralympic archer Sheetal Devi was already a captivating one. The 17-year-old is the sole female competitor among the four armless archers. When she hit the ideal bull's-eye in the first round of her competition, her star shot to new heights. Soon after, a video of the incident went viral. Even before she set foot in Paris, the story of Paralympic archer Sheetal Devi from India was already captivating. The 17-year-old is the sole female competitor among the four armless archers. When she hit the ideal bull's-eye in the first round of her competition, her star shot to new heights. Soon after, a video of the incident went viral.
Devi has been called "athletically gifted" despite facing physical obstacles. She even liked to climb trees and engage in other upper-body strengthening activities as a child. She first became interested in archery in 2021 after attending an Army event. She soon found herself competing at the national level among the gifted archers thanks to her unwavering spirit. She ranked first in the rankings for para compound archers in 2023 and took home two golds and one silver at the Asian Para Games in addition to winning silver at the world championships.
Devi hit a flawless bull's-eye in the women's individual compound open event during the 1/8 elimination round. Sadly, she lost to Mariana Zúñiga of Chile by one point despite her exciting opening shot. Her placing second in the ranking round made the outcome especially painful. Despite the loss, the Indian archer returned to the Paralympics and succeeded, taking home bronze in the mixed compound archery competition with Rakesh Kumar.
Devi used social media to thank her mother, who she said was the key to her success, after receiving her medal. "When I began a new chapter in early 2022, Maa fearlessly embraced the unknown, overcoming language barriers and supporting me every step of the way. She bravely left behind the comfort of her village, family, and friends. Devi writes, "Her unwavering love and support mean everything to me." "My world revolves around her."