Payal Nag: Electrocution took her limbs, Archery gave her wings

Payal Nag was just like any other child until an electrocution accident in 2015 changed her life forever.

She lost all four of her limbs that day. For her parents, the tragedy was only the beginning. Society was cruel—some people even suggested ending her life.

To ensure her well-being and education, the district collector placed Payal in an orphanage in Odisha’s Balangir district.

There, she found joy in painting and sketching, trying to come to terms with her condition.

But fate had bigger plans for her. A video of her went viral on social media, and that one moment changed everything.

Who would have thought a simple tweet would shape Payal’s future?

“One day, I saw a post on Twitter and I contacted her orphanage in charge. He suggested that I take permission from the district collector, and he readily agreed,” Coach Kuldeep Vedwan told The Bridge.

Coach Kuldeep Vedwan saw her story and knew she had potential. He reached out, took permission from authorities, and brought her to train at the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Archery Academy in Katra.

He even designed a special prosthetic device to help her shoot arrows.

“She got nervous initially when she saw other archers using their hands to take aim. She told me, ‘Sheetal uses her legs, I don’t even have that. How will I lift the bow?’ But one should have seen her excitement, her celebration when she shot her first arrow,” he added.

On Saturday, at the Khelo India Para Games, Payal captured everyone's attention with her remarkable skills and resilience. She fought her way to the final, where she would face Sheetal, a Paralympic medalist.

Even today, recalling her past brings tears to her eyes.

“My parents always tell me to prove it to those who taunted me for my condition. People used to say, ‘Ye bachchi ka haath-pair nahi hai, ye kya karegi?’ (She doesn’t have hands or legs, what will she do?). My mom and dad cried a lot. Some even suggested they kill me,” an emotional Payal told The Bridge on the sidelines of the Khelo India Para Games.

History maker

Sheetal is the only female para-archery champion without arms. Payal Nag is the first archer in the world to compete without all four limbs.

And she has already made history. Payal won two gold medals at the 6th National Para Archery Championship in Jaipur. Competing against able-bodied archers in the national ranking tournament, she finished eighth in the sub-junior category.

“Two years ago, I didn’t even know how to hold a bow. My coach showed me videos of Sheetal di. I beat her to win gold, and now I am in the finals with her,” she said with pride.

By her side is her sister Varsha, an archer herself, who loads her bow with arrows and supports her every step of the way.

Payal Nag’s journey is not just about sports—it’s about defying fate, breaking barriers, and proving that strength comes from within.