India's star para-archer Sheetal Devi won the gold medal in the women's individual compound event at the Asian Para Games. In the gold medal match, she defeated Singapore's Noor Aleem Syahida 142-139. With this victory, Sheetal ended her campaign with two gold and one silver medal. Sheetal had won the gold medal in the compound mixed team archery event with Toman Kumar and also won the silver medal with Payal Nag.
The gold medal match was close in the beginning. After shooting ten arrows, both the players were equal at 95-95. Then Sheetal started taking the lead with accurate shooting. He scored 10 points twice and 9 points thrice in his last five arrows. On the other hand, Syahida could only score 9 points four times and 8 points once in her last five attempts. This gave Sheetal a lead of three points and she secured her gold medal.
With this win, Sheetal equaled her performance in the previous Asian Para Games. He had won two gold and one silver medal in the last event held in Hangzhou. This time too, he made Indian Archery proud with his brilliant performance.
Shital Devi, a resident of Kishtwar, Jammu and Kashmir, was born without both hands. Despite this, he did not let his physical problems hinder his success. She handles the bow using her feet and knees and uses her shoulders and jaw to pull the string to the target. His excellent technique has given him a special identity in the world of archery.
Sheetal had created history by winning the silver medal in the 2023 World Para Archery Championship. She became the world's first armless female archer to compete at this level. He was honored with the Arjuna Award in 2023. He has also been selected 'Para Archer of the Year' twice by World Archery. He won the bronze medal in the mixed team event at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. She also won the gold medal in the women's compound open event and silver medal in the women's team event at the 2025 World Para Archery Championships. India is fifth in the medal tally with 73 medals (17 gold, 22 silver and 34 bronze).
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