Sheetal Devi, 17, is determined to win a gold for India at the Paralympics
Archer Sheetal Devi picks up her bow, loads an arrow and carefully aims at her target, about 50m (164ft) away, with a look of immense focus on her face.
So does her opponent, who is playing a practice game with her at a training academy in India.
The difference is that Devi is seated on a chair. She raises the bow with her right leg, pulls back the string using her right shoulder and releases the arrow using the strength of her jaw.
What never changes throughout this process is Devi’s calm demeanour.
The 17-year-old from Jammu district was born with phocomelia, a rare congenital disorder, making her the world’s first – and only active – female archer to compete without arms.
The Asian Para Games gold medallist is now gearing up for the Paralympics, which begin on 28 August in Paris.
“I am inspired to win the gold,” Devi said. “Whenever I see the medals I have won [until now], I feel inspired to win more. I have only just started.”
Around 4,400 athletes from across the world will take part in 22 sports at the Paralympics this year.
Archery has been a part of the Games since the inaugural edition in 1960. While countries such as Great Britain, USA and South Korea have dominated the medal count, India has accounted for a solitary bronze medal across 17 editions.
Para-archers are grouped into categories depending on the severity of their impairment.
The distances they have to shoot also differ based on the classification system, which then determines whether an archer can use assistive devices such as wheelchairs and release aids.
Archers competing in the W1 category are wheelchair users with impairment in at least three out of the four limbs with either a clear loss of muscle strength, coordination or range of movement.
Those competing in the open category have an impairment in either the top or bottom half or one side of their bodies and use a wheelchair, or have a balance impairment and shoot standing or resting on a stool. Competitors use either recurve or compound bows, depending on the event.
Devi is currently ranked first in the world in the compound open women’s category.
In 2023, she won a silver at the Para-Archery World Championship, which helped her qualify for the Paris Games.
At Paris, she will face tough competition from opponents including world number three Jane Karla Gogel and the reigning World Championship winner Oznur Cure.
