Gwangju (South Korea), Sep 27: Eighteen-year-old Indian armless archer Sheetal Devi made history on Saturday by defeating Turkiye’s world No.1 Oznur Cure Girdi 146-143 to claim the women’s compound individual gold at the Para World Archery Championship.
Sheetal, the only armless competitor in the tournament who shoots using her feet and chin, had already won a mixed team bronze with Toman Kumar earlier, defeating Great Britain’s Jodie Grinham and Nathan MacQueen 152-149. In the women’s compound open team event, she and Sarita secured silver after losing to Turkey in the final.
The individual final was tightly contested. The first end ended 29-all, but Sheetal fired three 10s in the second end to take a 30-27 lead. The third end was tied again at 29-all, and although she scored 28 in the fourth end while Girdi scored 29, Sheetal maintained a two-point advantage at 116-114. She sealed the gold with a flawless final end, scoring three perfect 10s for 30.
Earlier, Sheetal defeated Great Britain’s Jodie Grinham 145-140 in the semifinals to reach the final. The gold medal win also avenged her narrow loss to Girdi in the 2023 Pilsen World Championships, where she had lost 140-138.
In the team final, Sheetal and Sarita started strong, edging the Turkish duo 38-37 in the first end. However, Turkey bounced back in subsequent ends, eventually winning 152-148, leaving the Indian pair with silver.
Sheetal’s historic performance cements her status as a rising star in para-archery, showcasing remarkable skill, composure, and resilience on the global stage.
