Sheetal Devi, an 18-year-old Indian armless archer, made history by winning gold in the women’s compound individual category at the Para World Archery Championship. She defeated world No.1 Oznur Cure Girdi of Turkiye with a score of 146-143.Sheetal, who uses her feet and chin to shoot, is the only armless archer in the competition. This victory marked her third medal at the championships.She had previously secured a mixed team bronze in the compound event, partnering with Toman Kumar. The Indian duo defeated Great Britain’s Jodie Grinham and Nathan MacQueen 152-149.In another impressive performance, Sheetal and Sarita claimed silver in the compound women’s open team event after losing to Turkey in the final.
The individual final against Girdi was closely contested. The first end was tied at 29-all, followed by Sheetal scoring three 10s in the second end to take a 30-27 lead.The third end remained tied at 29-all. Despite a minor setback in the fourth end where she scored 28, Sheetal maintained a two-point lead at 116-114.She finished strong with a perfect final end, scoring 30 with three flawless arrows to secure her first gold medal.In the semifinals, the Jammu and Kashmir archer dominated with a 145-140 win over Britain’s Jodie Grinham.The final was a rematch of the 2023 Pilsen World Championships, where Girdi had previously beaten Sheetal 140-138. This time, Sheetal emerged victorious.In the open team event, Sheetal and Sarita started well but ultimately settled for silver, losing 148-152.The Indian pair began impressively, winning the first end 38-37 against Turkish archers Oznur Cure Girdi and Bursa Fatma Un.The Turkish team recovered in the second end, scoring three 10s and a nine to level the contest at 76-all.The third end saw India struggle with just one 10, two 9s, and an 8, totaling 36. Turkey scored 37 to take the lead.The Turkish duo finished strongly with 39 points in the final end. India scored 36, including one arrow in the 7-ring, resulting in Turkey winning gold by four points.
