Sheetal Devi is one of the most inspirational stories in not just Indian sport but world sport. The type of mental toughness she has shown at only 17 years of age is just remarkable. She is preparing for her first Paralympics which will be held in August. Sheetal Devi has already won Medals at the Asian Para Games in 2022.
Let’s look at the story of Sheetal Devi
Early Life
Sheetal Devi was born on 10th January 2007 and she was born in Loidhar which is in Jammu and Kashmir. She has been suffering from a condition called phocomelia which has resulted in her being the only Archer in the world with no limbs and she shoots arrows with her legs. Sheetal Devi was noticed in 2019 when she attended the youth event and was noticed by the Indian Army. This resulted in the Army supporting her in her education and they provided her with financial assistance. This molded her into the champion that she Is today.
Career
She was first noticed by the coaches of the Indian Army Abhilasha Chaudhary and Kuldeep Wadhwan. They decided that they will train her for international competitions. As she was with no arms her coaches helped her with prosthetics. She was able to climb the trees with the help of her legs and this allowed her coaches the motivation to train her. They saw Matt Sturzman who was also an Archer with no arms and in 11 months he trained her and as a result she won 2 Gold Medals at the 2022 Asian Para Games and A Silver Medal as well. She was given the Arjuna Award by the Government of India in 2023. This is only the start of her career and there are many more achievements that she will achieve in the years to come.
Sheetal Devi is the World Number 1 Para Archer in the world and she will look to win Gold Medals for India at the Paris Paralympics. Her story is an inspiration that nothing is impossible if one has the mental strength and fortitude to do it.
