Sheetal Devi Shatters Another Barrier, Seals Historic Selection In Able-Bodied Junior Archery Team

In a groundbreaking move, para-archer Sheetal Devi, the reigning world compound champion who was born without arms, has been included in the Indian able-bodied junior archery team for the upcoming Asia Cup Stage 3 in Jeddah.

Sheetal's selection is an unprecedented landmark, marking a first-of-its-kind addition of a para-athlete to India's able-bodied international team.

"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 match at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, Sheetal drew motivation from Turkey's Paris Paralympic champion Oznur Cure Girdi, who also competes in able-bodied events at the world level.

The 18-year-old from Jammu and Kashmir finished third overall in the rigorous four-day national selection trials held in Sonipat while competing among more than 60 able-bodied archers.

Sheetal achieved 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) bagged the top two spots, while Sheetal took third place with 11.75 points, barely edging out Maharashtra's Dnyaneshwari Gadadhe by 0.25 points.

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Sheetal has already etched her name in golden letter in history by becoming the first female armless world champion in para archery this year.

Teams

Recurve: Men's: 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's: Tejal Salve, Vaidehi Jadhav (both Maharashtra), Sheetal Devi (Jammu and Kashmir).