New Delhi: In a gripping day of competition at the Paris Paralympics, Indian archer Sheetal Devi and Turkeys Oznur Cure delivered extraordinary performances in the Womens Individual Compound Open qualification round. The two top contenders pushed each other to the limit, with the outcome decided by a mere point. Early life of Sheetal Devi17-year-old Sheetal Devi, an extraordinary talent from Kishtwar, Jammu and Kashmir, has once again proven her mettle on the global stage at the Paris Paralympics. Born with phocomelia, a rare congenital disorder that results in underdeveloped limbs, Sheetal overcame tremendous odds to establish herself as one of the worlds top archers.She uses her right foot, right shoulder, and jaw to release the arrow, Sheetals unique technique has captured the archery community. Her remarkable upper body strength, developed through childhood adventures like climbing trees, has been crucial to her success.Sheetals success and achievementsAhead of the Paris Paralympics, Sheetal was already recognized as a strong contender for a medal in her category. She lived up to expectations by surpassing her previous personal best of 689, recording an impressive 703 in the qualification round. This performance not only set a new benchmark for herself but also positioned her firmly on the path to the podium.Sheetals journey to success has been marked by consistent excellence. She made headlines at the Para Asian Games last year, where she secured two gold medals and a silver, further establishing herself as a force to be reckoned with in international archery.Performance of the archersBoth archers surpassed the previous world record of 698, with Sheetals consistency keeping her in the top two throughout the competition. Despite shooting three perfect 60s in the second half, Sheetal fell short by a single point in the final end, securing her second place in the ranking round. Their outstanding performances marked the first time in history that two women crossed the 700-point mark in this discipline. Sheetal, the only female armless archer competing, now advances directly to the round of 16.Target 1: Oznur Cure – 704. 🇹🇷Target 2: Sheetal Devi – 703. 🇮🇳One decisive arrow to set the WORLD RECORD. 🔥#ArcheryInParis #ParaArchey pic.twitter.com/jMAJJjsfNT— World Archery (@worldarchery) August 29, 2024Setback faced by Aruna TanwarMeanwhile, in Para Taekwondo, Indias Aruna Tanwar faced a devastating setback. Competing against Turkeys Nurcihan Ekinci, Aruna suffered a severe knee injury early in the match. Despite the pain, she bravely fought on, but was ultimately defeated 0-19, her dreams of advancing were dashed once again by injury.In other events, Indian athletes continued to impress. Harvinder Singh secured 9th seeding in the mens recurve open, and Rakesh finished 5th in the mens compound with a score of 696. Together with Sheetals score, India set a new world record in mixed team compound qualification with a combined total of 1399.
