Devi was born with phocomelia, a rare medical condition resulting in the absence of arms. She is the first and only female para-archery champion without upper limbs.
In 2019, she attended a youth event in Kishtwar, where she was noticed by the Indian Army's Rashtriya Rifles unit, which led to the army supporting her education and providing medical assistance.[4]
Career and achievements
Sheetal Devi with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2024.
At a youth event organized by the Indian Army, Devi caught the attention of coaches Abhilasha Chaudhary and Kuldeep Wadhwan, who were impressed by her confidence and decided to begin her training. Although they initially considered using prosthetics to assist her, doctors advised that it was not possible in her case. Devi's ability to climb trees using only her legs had significantly developed her core strength, which became important in her training.[5][6][7][8][9]
The coaches had never trained someone without arms for archery before. However, after researching and learning about Matt Stutzman, an archer who uses his legs, they began her training. Within 11 months of training, Devi competed in the women's compound bow event at the 2022 Asian Para Games,[5][2][10] where she won two gold medals for India.[5] She secured gold in the mixed doubles and women's individual, in addition to a silver medal in the women's double compound event,[11][6] which moved her to the top of the para world archery rankings in the women's compound open category.[12]
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