Paris Paralympics 2024: Age 17, no hands and congenital disease… Indian archer Sheetal Devi missed the world record at Paris Paralympics

Paris Paralympics 2024: Indian archer Sheetal Devi (Paralympic athlete Sheetal Devi) played in the Paris Paralympics on Thursday (29 August). She performed brilliantly in her debut Paralympics but missed out on making a world record. Sheetal is just 17 years old. India’s armless para athlete Sheetal Devi is being praised for her performance in the women’s individual compound competition. She suffers from a congenital disease called phocomelia. She does not even have hands, despite this her performance has been excellent in the last few years.

Shital broke the Para Games and world record while participating in the ranking round and scored 703 points, but was overtaken by her opponent in the final shot of the qualification round. Turkey’s Oznur Girdi Kure had set the ranking round world record with 704 points. Devi’s score surpassed the world record of 698 set by Great Britain’s Phoebe Paine Peterson earlier this month.

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Target 1: Oznur Cure – 704. 🇹🇷
Target 2: Sheetal Devi – 703. 🇮🇳
A decisive arrow to set a world record. 🔥#ArcheryInParis #BeforeArchie pic.twitter.com/jMAJJjsfNT

— World Archery (@worldarchery) August 29, 2024

Both these players broke the previous records of Jessica Stratton (694 points in Para Games) and Phoebe Patterson (698 points in WR) and qualified for the Round of 32. Previous record holder Patterson finished seventh with 688 points, which was her best attempt this season.

Such is the story of Sheetal Devi
Sheetal Devi of India was born with a rare congenital disease called phocomelia. After this, she has overcome all the obstacles to become a champion in the world of para archery. Phocomelia or Amelia is a rare condition in which the hands and feet remain very small. It is a type of congenital disorder.

17-year-old Sheetal belongs to Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir. In her childhood, she had a passion for climbing trees. Where she also challenged her physical limitations. In a youth event in the year 2021, Indian Army coaches tested her innate athletic ability and saw immense potential in her.

Despite initial attempts to use prosthetic limbs, Sheetal’s coach was inspired by the story of Matt Stutzman, an armless archer who won a silver medal at the London 2012 Paralympics. He decided to train Sheetal using her feet and toes, and the results that followed were nothing short of a major achievement.

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She became a sensation during the Hangzhou Asian Para Games in China last year, where she became the first Indian woman to win two gold medals in the same season of the Games. She also won a silver medal in the Games. Devi also became the first armless woman to win a medal in the Para World Archery Championships last year.