Sheetal Devi is an archer of Indian origin who has gone viral for her skill in hitting the target with the use of her legs at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. The 17-year-old is one of the four armless archers in this discipline and the only woman. Despite losing in the qualifying round where she achieved a perfect shot, Devi won the bronze medal in the mixed category on Monday alongside Kakesh Kumar. The Indian athlete has already won two gold medals and one silver medal at the 2022 Asian Paralympic Games, at just 15 years old.
The Indian archer was born without arms due to a congenital disorder called phocomelia, which causes limbs to fail to develop. Devi has had to learn to use her legs to do everything others do with their hands. Her resilience has amazed the world at the Games with her ability to reinvent herself in archery. Her technique involves holding the bow with her right leg, drawing the bow with her shoulder and releasing the arrow with her jaw.
Devi has a “gift” for the bow and was trained after a youth event organised by the Indian Army in 2021, according to Olympics.comHer participation in the Paralympics has become known around the world: a video of her in action has reached 60 million views. Even some elite athletes, such as Barcelona footballer Jules Koundé, have reacted on social media to Devi’s skill with the archery.
Despite failing to secure a medal in the individual event, which was won on Tuesday by China’s Wu Chunyan, Devi has impressed everyone with her performance at the Paralympics and returns home with a bronze medal.
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