Paralympic medallist Sheetal Devi made history on Thursday by qualifying for her first able-bodied international meet after earning a place in the junior archery team for the Asia Cup Stage 3 in Jeddah next month.
Competing against more than 60 able-bodied archers at the four-day national selection trials in Sonipat, the 18-year-old Sheetal Devi finished third in the final women’s compound rankings. She will compete in the women’s compound event at the Asia Cup.
For Sheetal, born without arms due to a rare congenital condition called phocomelia, the achievement is the realisation of a long-held dream.
“When I started competing, I had a small dream – to one day compete alongside the able-bodied,” Sheetal wrote on social media after being named in the team.
“I didn’t make it at first, but I kept going, learning from every setback. Today, that dream is one step closer,” she added.
It’s a dream years in the making. Sheetal first tested herself against able-bodied archers at the 2022 junior nationals in Goa. Since then, her rise has been extraordinary.
She became the first female armless world champion in para archery earlier this year, winning gold in the women’s compound open event at the 2025 World Para Archery Championships in Gwangju, Republic of Korea.
She defeated Paralympic champion Oznur Cure Girdi of Türkiye 146-143 in the final, and also added a team silver and mixed team bronze to her tally. Girdi, notably, also competes in able-bodied events.
At the Paris 2024 Paralympics, Sheetal claimed bronze in the compound mixed team event with Rakesh Kumar, becoming India’s youngest Paralympic medallist at 17 and only the second armless archer in history to win a Paralympic medal.
In 2023, Sheetal collected a world championship silver, two Asian Para Games gold medals and finished the season as the world No. 1 in women’s compound para archery.