Unbowed, unbent, unbroken.
This perfectly sums up the living phenomenon that Sheetal Devi is, the girl who turned her imperfections into fascination.
At 17-years of age, she already has the world on her feet.
Two Asian Para gold medals, a silver medal in the World Championship and now, the pièce de résistance, a Paralympic medal.
Only 17-years-old!! 🤯
Sheetal Devi hit a perfect bullseye for Team India at the Paralympic Games 🏹 🇮🇳
She is the first female archer without any upper limbs with an international title.
Greatness isn’t about the absence of obstacles, but the ability to rise above them 🙌 pic.twitter.com/iXwxE53Oh6
— Thomas Hal Robson-Kanu (@RobsonKanu) September 3, 2024
Devi has never let her inhibitions stop her.
Born in 2007 with phocomelia, a rare congenital disorder, Devi’s upper limbs never fully developed.
While most would regard it as an obstacle to stop and sulk, Devi saw it as a hurdle to leap over, and she did it in style.
Drawing inspiration from American para archer Matt Stutzman, Devi, using her legs and feet in setting up the bow and arrow, turned heads at every event she took part in.
The armless teenager brought many a hands together into applauding her as she went from strength to strength in the world of para archery, with her latest exploit being the Paris Paralympics.
Although she faced a heartbreaking loss in the singles event, she did not let that faze her one bit.
Coming back in the mixed team event, Devi showed why she is one of the best in the business.
“I did not focus on the medal. I just wanted to do my best and the medal was the result of it,” an elated Devi told the reporters after her bronze medal triumph in the mixed team compound archery open event at the Paris Paralympics.
Teaming up with Rakesh Kumar, Devi went up against a spirited Italian duo of Elenora Sarti and Matteo Bonacina and despite being down by one point at the start of the last round, the Indians racked up an astonishing score of 40/40 to snatch the game and bronze away from the Italians.
Devi had to get a 20/20 in her final two arrows and she brilliantly handled the pressure, hitting the mark on both occasions and contributing to India’s victory.
“I was inspired by Matt Stutzman’s win yesterday. Watching him gave me a lot of confidence that I can also do well and win a medal for my country,” she added.
The video of her opening her singles match with a perfect bullseye 10 has gone viral in social media, and just like that, Devi has become an international sensation.
People from all around the globe have shared their fascination in watching her and back home, she has now become the face of Indian para archery.
“Archery has changed my life. In such a short time, I was able to win medals in such a short span. I am very happy, winning medals for my country,” she said.
While it is true that archery gave Devi a lifeline and opened a pathway to the world, she is sending back a far bigger message, one of hope, perseverance, courage, and above all, a message of choosing resilience over resistance.
Devi might be armless, but that has not stopped her from writing her own story, a story that has just begun, a story that is far from over.
This is Sheetal Devi’s world, and we are just a part of it.