Para Sports
Sensational Sheetal Devi becomes world no. 1 in the latest World Archery rankings
The latest feat of sensational armless archer Sheetal came on the back of another magnificent feat. On November 25, she was adjudged the Best Youth Athlete of the Year by the Asian Paralympic Committee in Riyadh.
Sheetal Devi won three medals, including two gold, at the Asian Para Games 2023 in Hangzhou.
Indian para archer Sheetal Devi added another feather to her illustrious career by becoming the world no. 1 in women's compound para archery. World Archery released the latest rankings on Tuesday.
Sheetal topped the chart with 230 points, putting herself way above the rest, with the second-placed para archer Jane Karla Gogel of Brazil having 195 points.
The latest feat of sensational armless archer Sheetal came on the back of another feat. On November 25, she was adjudged the Best Youth Athlete of the Year by the Asian Paralympic Committee in Riyadh. Sheetal was the first Indian para-athlete ever to win the prestigious award.
Sheetal, an armless archer, caught the imagination of the world for her determination and captivating skills to pull the bow and shoot the arrow with her legs and use of mouth.
As per World Archery data, Sheetal, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir, is the first female archer to compete internationally without arms.
Sheetal, who was born with phocomelia, a rare congenital disorder that causes under-developed limbs, was discovered at a youth event organised by the Indian Army in Kishtwar in 2021. She caught the attention of the scouts there because of her athleticism.
She enjoyed a stellar year winning a silver medal at the World Para Archery Championships in Pilsen in the Czech Republic.
She kept her blazing form on winning three medals at the Asian Para Games 2023 in Hangzhou. With two gold medals under her credit, she became the first Indian woman to win two yellow metals in a single edition of the Asian Para Games.
