Sheetal Devi: ‘Haven’t been home since starting archery and will only return after the Paralympics’

Over the past year, para-archer Sheetal Devi has emerged as one of the most inspiring figures in Indian sports.

Born without fully developed arms due to a rare congenital disorder called phocomelia, the 17-year-old from the Loidhar village in Kishtwar, Jammu and Kashmir shoots with her feet.

However, that hasn’t stopped Sheetal Devi, who competes in the open women’s compound events, from taking the world of archery by storm. She is already a world No. 1, silver medal winner at the World Archery Para Championships and Asian Para Games champion.

Though Sheetal managed all this, and more, in what was only her debut season as a competitive archer, the journey hasn’t been easy and required its fair share of sacrifices from the teenager.

“I haven’t been home since my archery journey started,” Sheetal Devi revealed during an appearance at the FIT India Champions Podcast.

Sheetal first took up archery in 2021 after she was spotted by the Indian Army. She soon joined an academy in Katra, some 200 kms away from her village, to train under coaches Abhilasha Chaudhary and Kuldeep Wadhwan, whom she credits for shaping her into the champion she is today.

“I still stay at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Sports Complex in Katra. My younger sister stays with me while my parents and brother are back home at Kishtwar. My family sometimes visits and stays with me for a few days,” Sheetal Devi said.

“I really want to go and visit my home but I don’t intend to till I return from the Paris 2024 Paralympics,” she added.

Sheetal Devi has already secured a Paris 2024 Paralympic quota for India after winning a silver medal at the World Archery Para Championships 2023 in the Czech Republic last July. She is the first female armless archer to win a medal at the Para World Championships.

She then won gold medals in the individual compound and mixed team events at the Asian Para Games 2023 in October to go with a silver in women’s doubles and became the world No. 1. A host of national and international accolades followed with the Arjuna Award, Best Women Para Archer of the Year 2023 and Best Women Para Archer of the Year 2023 honours.

Heading into 2024, Sheetal Devi has her eyes firmly trained on a Paralympic medal.

“Winning a Paralympic gold for India, that’s my ultimate goal,” Sheetal announced.

The teenager also stated that she’s working towards her goal and trains every day for six to seven hours. “I’ll never take an off day unless I am really sick.”