Sheetal shoots her personal best in women’s individual compound competition
India archer Sheetal Devi, competing in the women’s individual compound event, came very close to breaking the world record on August 29th, Thursday.
During the ranking round, Sheetal set a new world record at the Para Games with a score of 703 points, only to be surpassed by her competitor in the final shot of the qualification round. The pair broke the previous records set by Jessica Stretton (694 points in Para Games) and Phoebe Paterson (698 points WR), earning a spot in the Round of 32.
Sheetal had been in the running for the number one spot since the beginning of the ranking round. She ranked in the top 2 archers in the competition.
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Sheetal consistently demonstrated her superior skills in the second half of the shooting competition, surpassing both Brazil’s Karla Gogel and Turkey’s Oznur Cure. Just as it appeared she would lead the group by breaking the records, Sheetal scored a 9 in her last try to end with 703 points.
Oznur surpassed Sheetal’s personal record with a perfect series in her final attempt, scoring 704 points. Fatemah Hemmati and Jodie Grinham finished third and fourth with 696 and 693 points respectively, far behind the top two in the field.
Sheetal’s life journey
Sheetal started her adventure in the quaint village of Jammu and Kashmir, where she developed a love for scaling trees and a determination to surpass her physical restrictions. Indian Army coaches noticed her natural athletic ability during a youth event in 2021 and recognized her great potential. Even though they first tried using prosthetics, Sheetal’s trainers were motivated by the tale of Matt Stutzman, a bow and arrow competitor without arms who earned a silver medal at the 2012 Paralympics in London. They opted to educate her utilizing her lower limbs and feet, and the outcomes were truly impressive.
