In a moment of pure sporting drama, 19-year-old Indian para-archer Sheetal Devi etched her name in history on September 9, 2026. The world No. 1 and reigning world champion from Jammu & Kashmir claimed her first individual gold medal at the World Archery Para Series by defeating Kazakhstan’s Aizada Seidan in a nail-biting shoot-off at the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad.
The women’s compound individual final ended in a 144-144 tie after five intense ends. With the gold medal hanging in the balance, Sheetal stepped up and delivered a perfect 10. Seidan could only manage a 9. The home crowd erupted as India celebrated a landmark victory on the final day of the country’s first-ever hosting of a World Archery Para Series stage.
Sheetal had entered the knockout rounds as the top seed after an outstanding qualification round of 698 points — a season-best that also improved her own Asian record by one point. In the final, both archers started strongly with perfect 30s. The match remained extremely close throughout, with Seidan holding a slim one-point lead heading into the last end. Sheetal responded with a composed 29 to Seidan’s 28, forcing the shoot-off that she ultimately won.
This gold marked Sheetal’s first individual title on the World Archery Para Series circuit, after finishing runner-up in the previous two stages. The victory also completed a strong double for her at the event — she had earlier won bronze in the compound mixed team event alongside Toman Kumar, defeating Iraq 157-145.
India concluded the World Archery Para Series Stage 3 with an impressive total of 15 medals — 4 gold, 3 silver and 8 bronze — finishing second on the medal table behind Czechia. Other gold medals on the final day included the recurve mixed team title for Bhawna and Paralympic champion Harvinder Singh.
Born without arms, Sheetal Devi shoots using her feet with remarkable precision and calm. Her journey from the mountains of Jammu & Kashmir to becoming a global para-archery star continues to inspire millions. Competing in front of a passionate home crowd in Ahmedabad, she once again proved that true strength comes from courage, commitment and an unbreakable spirit.With the Asian Para Games 2026 approaching, this gold provides the perfect momentum for Sheetal and the Indian para-archery team.
