Para archer Sheetal Devi creates history, earns spot in elite archers’ team for Asia Cup

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Para-archer Sheetal Devi, who has been armless since birth, achieved another historic milestone on Thursday. Paris Paralympics bronze medalist and world compound champion Sheetal has been selected in India's able-bodied junior team for the upcoming Asia Cup Stage 3 in Jeddah. This is the first time Sheetal has been included in the Indian team for an able-bodied international competition.

The selection was based on a four-day national selection trial held in Sonipat. The 18-year-old archer from Jammu and Kashmir placed third among more than 60 talented archers from across the country competing under similar conditions.

Sheetal scored 703 points in the qualification round (352 in the first round and 351 in the second), equaling the total score of top qualifier Tejal Salve. In the final rankings, Tejal (15.75 points) and Vaidehi Jadhav (15 points) secured the top two spots, while Sheetal secured third place with 11.75 points.

Following the team announcement, Sheetal expressed her joy on social media. She wrote, "When I started competing, I had a small dream of one day competing with capable archers. Initially, I didn't succeed, but I kept moving forward, learning from each failure. Today, that dream is one step closer."

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