
Paralympian archer Sheetal Devi wowed the crowd at the Paris Paralympics 2024. The crowd was in awe of the courage and spirit of the 17-year-old armless archer, who made her debut at the Games. The moment came during the nail-biting pre-quarterfinal match between her and Mariana Zuniga.
During this match, Sheetal Devi left the crowd shell-shocked with a score of perfect 10. A video clip of the paralympic archer scoring a perfect 10 went viral, with many praising her ability to shoot with her legs, jaw and shoulders.
Reacting to the video, British broadcaster Piers Morgan said: "These paralympians are truly incredible. Wow."
"This is beyond possible! Sheetal Devi is poetry in motion. Just 17 years old. Born without arms. A true hero. Congrats India (sic)," Erik Solheim wrote on X.
"Sheetal Devi is the real gold. Look at how determined and talented she is," IFS Parveen Kaswan said.
"Prefer the Paralympics to the Olympics, as they are much more inspirational," a user wrote. "Armless archers are league of their own! I'm a retired Paralympian and that stuff is legend to me!" a user said.
"And she comes from a small village in Jammu and Kashmir in North India! Makes her achievements even more special!" another user said.
Despite her impeccable show at the Paris Olympics, Sheetal Devi lost the fight to Mariana Zuniga 137-138 in the Round of 16 on Saturday. Devi shot two 8s in the fifth and final end of the match after having shot 9s and 10s in the first four ends.
Sheetal Devi is the first and only active female archer to compete without arms. Sheetal Devi's story is that of true grit and determination. Born with a rare disorder called phocomelia which causes underdeveloped limbs, Sheetal began her archery journey when she was 15 years old.
She attended a youth event in J&K's Kishtwar where Indian Army's Rashtriya Rifles recognised her. After this, the Army supported her education and provided medical assistance. She was then introduced to the world of archery.
Her coaches -- Abhilasha Chaudhary and Kuldeep Wadhawan -- wanted to help her with prosthetics but doctors said that was not possible. Sheetal Devi took her coaches by surprise when she told of her expertise in climbing trees using her legs. The coaches took inspiration from armless archer Matt Stutzman, who used his legs to shoot, as they had never taught a someone without arms before.
Following only 11 months of preparation, Sheetal competed in the 2022 Asian Para Games women's compound bow and took home two gold and one silver medal.
The way Sheetal shoots the arrow is by using her right leg and shoulder. She puts the bow down on the ground, uses her right foot to load the arrow, and then holds the bow with her leg, drawing it nearly to her chest. She has a strap around her upper body that she manipulates to release the assistance above her right shoulder.