Sheetal Devi

• Born armless in a small village in Jammu and Kashmir due to a rare medical condition called ‘phocomelia’
• At the age of 16, she was awarded the prestigious Arjuna Award by the President of India for her stellar performance at the Hangzhou Asian Games 2023, where she won a hat-trick of medals: two gold medals in the singles compound and mixed doubles compound, and one silver in the women’s doubles.
• she also claimed a silver medal in the open women’s compound archery event at the World Archery Para Championships 2023 in the Czech Republic, becoming the first female armless archer to win a medal at the Para World Championships, and only the second in the world after Matt Stutzman, USA.
• At the age of 17, Sheetal made history by becoming the youngest medal winner for India in the Paralympics. She won a bronze medal in the mixed team compound archery event in Paris, partnering with Rakesh Kumar.
• As the only teenager and the only female “armless archer” in the world, she exemplifies how physical limitations are no barrier to achieving greatness.

Matt Stutzman, the pioneering armless archer, who remarked that Sheetal is “the future of the sport and is going to probably inspire the next generation more than I inspired this generation.”

Time Magazine, on September 3, did a special story on the Sheetal Devi and Matt Stutzman, titled “What to Know About the Armless Archers Taking the Paralympics by Storm”.