Sheetal Devi was born in 2007 with phocomelia, a rare congenital disorder leading to underdeveloped limbs. The condition resulted in her arms not fully forming. 

Fast forward to 2023 and Sheetal Devi’s achievements in archery are already in the headlines after just one season.

Sheetal Devi claimed a silver medal in the open women’s compound archery event at the World Archery Para Championships 2023 in the Czech Republic in July. She was the first female armless archer to win a medal at the Para World Championships. The medal also helped Sheetal obtain a quota for India for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

Sheetal Devi’s stellar debut season continued at the in October. She bagged gold medals in the individual compound and mixed team events apart from winning the silver medal in the women’s doubles competition

Sheetal Devi is the more only active female international archer to shoot without arms.

Sheetal was born in Loidhar village in Kishtwar, Jammu and Kashmir on January 10, 2007. Despite being born with a physical condition that posed inherent challenges, Sheetal Devi was athletically gifted and never let her limitations stop her from making the most of her childhood. 

As a kid, Sheetal possessed a strong will and enjoyed climbing trees as a pastime. The activity helped her build a strong upper body which proved to be a turning point later in her life.

The Indian Army played a pivotal role in propelling Sheetal Devi's career in para archery. It was at a youth event orchestrated by the Indian Army in Kishtwar, Jammu and Kashmir in 2021 that Sheetal’s innate athleticism and confidence were discovered by army coaches. 

However, the initial attempts from the coaches to make Sheetal Devi a force in Para archery hit a stumbling block. The coaches initially planned to help her with prosthetics but it did not work out.

After further research, the coaches came to know about Matt Stutzman, an armless archer who used his legs to shoot a silver medal at the London 2012 Paralympics.

Sheetal Devi was named the Best Youth Athlete of the Year by the Asian Paralympic Committee and was nominated to receive the Arjuna award.