“Sheetal did not choose archery, archery chose Sheetal."
Indian archer Sheetal Devi is aiming for gold at the Paralympics, which gets underway on August 28, 2024.
The 17-year-old was born with phocomelia, a rare medical condition, making her the world’s first – and only active – female archer to compete without arms.
She said: “I am inspired to win the gold.
“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 2024 Paralympics.
Archery has been a part of the Games since the inaugural edition in 1960.
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.
Sheetal Devi is currently ranked world number one in the compound open women’s category.
In 2023, she won 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.
However, her coach Abhilasha Chaudhary said:
“Sheetal [Devi] did not choose archery, archery chose Sheetal.”
Born in Jammu, Devi had not seen a bow and arrow till she was 15.
In 2022, she visited the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board sports complex in Jammu’s Katra on the recommendation of an acquaintance.
There, she met Chaudhary and her other coach, Kuldeep Vedwan, who introduced her to archery. She soon moved to a training camp in Katra city.
The coaches said they were fascinated by Devi’s grit.
The challenge was monumental, but their vision – to make the most of the strength in Devi’s legs and upper body – eventually prevailed.
Devi said the strength came from years of using her feet for most activities, including writing and climbing trees with her friends.
She admitted: “I felt this was impossible. My legs used to ache a lot but somehow I did it.”
Devi would take inspiration from American archer Matt Stutzman, who famously shoots with his feet using a customised device.
Her family could not afford a similar machine, therefore, her coach Vedwan created a special bow for her using locally sourced materials.
It includes an upper-body strap made from materials used in bag belts and a small instrument which Devi holds in her mouth to help release the arrow.
But on the real challenge, Chaudhary explained:
“We had to manage how to balance the strength in her legs, modify it and use it technically.
“Devi has strong legs but we had to figure out how she would use her back to shoot.”
The trio then committed to a measured training routine, which began with Devi using a rubber band or TheraBand instead of a bow, to aim at targets placed at just a 5m distance.
Four months later, she was using a proper bow and hitting targets at a 50m distance.
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In just two years, Sheetal Devi went from learning to simply shoot an arrow at small distances to hitting six 10s in a row in the final of the women’s individual compound event at the Asian Para Games in 2023 to win the gold medal.
Devi said:
“Even when I shoot a nine, I’m only thinking about how I can convert that into a 10 on the next shot.”
Her dedication has meant sacrifices.
Since moving to Katra in 2022, she has not gone home once. She plans to return only after the Paralympics end, “hopefully with a medal”.
Devi added: “I believe that no one has any limitations, it’s just about wanting something enough and working as hard as you can.
“If I can do it, anyone else can.”
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