Sheetal Devi Makes India Proud, Clinches Para World Archery Title at 18
India shines at Para World Archery Championships 2025 with two golds, one silver, and two bronze medals in Gwangju.
Gwangju (South Korea) : Eighteen year old Indian para archer Sheetal Devi scripted history on Saturday by becoming the first woman armless archer to win a world championship gold, triumphing in the women’s compound individual final at the Para World Archery Championships in Gwangju.
Sheetal, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir and shoots using her feet and chin, defeated world No.1 Oznur Cure Girdi of Turkiye 146-143 in a thrilling contest. This landmark victory makes her only the second armless archer in history to clinch a world title, after USA’s Matt Stutzman in 2022.
India’s medal tally soared as Toman Kumar clinched the men’s compound gold in an all-Indian final against Paris Paralympics bronze medallist Rakesh Kumar, who was forced to withdraw due to a technical glitch. Earlier, Sheetal also bagged a mixed team bronze alongside Toman and a silver medal in the women’s compound open team event with Sarita.
While Sheetal’s gold was a sweet revenge for her narrow loss to Girdi in the 2023 Pilsen World Championships, India narrowly missed a clean sweep in the men’s section as Shyam Sunder Swami lost the bronze medal match to Britain’s Nathan MacQueen 148-141.
With two golds, one silver, and two bronzes, India capped off a remarkable day at the championships, further cementing its rise in the world of para archery.
