This 17-Year-Old Armless Indian Archer Has Convinced People The Olympics Are Just A Warm Up For The Paralympics
Sheetal Devi became the first Indian woman, as well as the first and only woman without upper limbs, to win an archery medal at the Paralympics.
17-year-old Indian para archery athlete Sheetal Devi has taken the internet by storm with her impressive shooting skills at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, where she narrowly missed breaking the world record by one point.
On Sunday, Aug. 29, Devi, who was born without arms due to a rare disorder called phocomelia, scored 703 points out of a possible 720 in the women's individual compound event.
She surpassed the previous world record of 698 points, but narrowly missed setting a new record, with Turkey's Oznur Girdi Cure scoring 704 points.
Devi has phocomelia, which is a rare condition that affects babies at birth, causing their arms and legs to be underdeveloped, and is the only armless woman archer competing at the Paris Paralympics.
Video of Devi shooting using her legs, jaw, and shoulders quickly went viral on social media, garnering more than 60 million views and inspiring many people.
To fire an arrow, she first lays the bow on the ground. Then, she positions the arrow with her right foot and holds the bow with her leg, pushing it close to her chest, according to Business Today.
To release the arrow, she makes use of a strap around her upper body and a special mechanism over her right shoulder.
“You’re the inspiration of billions of people now,” one person wrote on X.
“This makes me cry with joy. When a person has a disability and they move forward proving that the disability does not slow them, is remarkable. This young lady is to be admired,” wrote another.
Despite not winning a medal in the individual event, Devi went onto secure a bronze in the mixed team compound archery competition with her teammate, Rakesh Kumar, by defeating the Italian duo Eleonora Sarti and Matteo Bonacina on Monday, Sep. 2.
This made her the first Indian woman, as well as the first and only woman without upper limbs, to win an archery medal at the Paralympics.
Born in a small village in Jammu and Kashmir, India, in 2007, Devi was "athletically gifted" from an early age and loved climbing trees, which helped her develop powerful upper body muscles.
She started her archery journey in 2021 at a youth event organized by the Indian Army.
Devi then began training under two former archers and went on to win several competitions in a short period of preparation, including two gold medals at the 2022 Asian Para Games.
At first, coaches tried to train her by fitting her with prosthetics but soon realized she had a special talent for shooting with her feet.
Since they had never trained an archer with an arm disability before, they took inspiration from Matt Stutzman, a famous armless archer, and adapted his training approach.
Devi also made history by winning a silver medal at the 2023 World Archery Para Championships in the Czech Republic, becoming the first woman para-archer to do so, which helped her qualify for the Paris Games.
In 2023, she was named the Best Women’s Para Archer of the Year by World Archery.
In January 2024, Devi was awarded the prestigious Arjuna Award by the Indian government, the second-highest sporting honor in India.
After winning at the Paris Paralympics, Devi’s father told Indian Express that her medal has given a new identity to her village, which is primarily known for maize farming, calling it “our biggest treasure.”
Additionally, the elected head of the village also referred to her as the "pride of the village," saying that she has shown local kids the possibilities of overcoming challenges and pursuing their dreams.
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