Para archer Sheetal Devi nails perfect bull's eye with just her toes, crowd's thrilling reaction goes viral

In an amazing feat, Armless archer Sheetal Devi astounded fans at the Paris Paralympics, standing out as a prominent athlete in the compound archery event.

As the ranking round was underway, the 17-year-old Indian sportsperson, partaking in her first Paralympic Games, almost set a world record.

However, Sheetal's captivating start, could not advance her into the knockout stages, owing to her close loss by a single point in pre-quarterfinal match to Chile's Mariana Zuniga. The competition?occurred at the historic Invalides, where the crowd was?in awe of Sheetal’s determination and skill.

Sheetal claimed perfect 10 as her pre-quarterfinal journey began, setting the tone for a fierce clash. After receiving a bye in the Round of 32, she displayed impressive consistency, enthralling the spectators with her definite skills. As her arrow struck the bullseye, the spectators erupted in cheers, and the on-air commentator's enthusiastic reactions mirrored the excitement of the moment.

Sheetal Devi's inspiring performance gains global recognition

A video of Sheetal’s perfect 10 quickly went viral on social media, with users around the world expressing admiration for her incredible ability to shoot arrows using only her legs, jaw, and shoulders. Sheetal, who won a silver medal at last year's world championships, stands out as the only armless archer competing in the Paris Paralympics.

In a heartbreaking finish, Sheetal lost to Mariana Zuniga with a score of 137-138 in the Round of 16. The young archer appeared visibly disappointed as she struggled in the final stages of the match, shooting two 8s in the fifth end after consistently scoring 9s and 10s in the earlier rounds. Despite the loss, her performance drew widespread attention and praise.

SunSport columnist Piers Morgan took to Twitter, stating, "These Paralympians are truly incredible. Wow."?

Former?Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh also lauded the young para-archer, while others on social media described Sheetal’s talent as "beyond possible."

Sheetal still has a chance to win a medal at the Paralympics, as she will compete alongside Rakesh Kumar in the mixed compound event. The pair secured the top seed after setting a new world record in the mixed ranking round earlier in the week and have advanced directly to the quarterfinals, which are scheduled for September 2.

Who is Sheetal Devi? A closer look at the rising star

Sheetal Devi was born on January 10, 2007, in the Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir, with a condition called phocomelia, which left her without arms. She is one of four armless archers participating in the Paralympics. Her talent was discovered in 2019 by the Indian Army's Rashtriya Rifles unit, which supported her education and medical needs.

Despite doctors ruling out the possibility of prosthetics, Sheetal astounded her coaches with her ability to climb trees using her legs. Her coaches adapted her technique based on the style of Matt Stutzman, another armless archer who also uses his legs for archery. Within 11 months of training, Sheetal competed in the 2022 Asian Para Games, winning two gold medals and one silver.

?Also Read:?Paralympics 2024: Social media erupts with praise as Avani Lekhara and Mona Aggarwal secure gold and bronze

In 2023, Sheetal was honoured as the Best Youth Athlete of the Year by the Asian Paralympic Committee and received the Arjuna Award from the Government of India. Her achievements at the Asian Para Games last year, where she won three medals, solidified her status as one of India’s brightest medal hopefuls at the Paris Paralympics. Although she narrowly missed her target, Sheetal’s future in archery looks promising.

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