Sheetal Devi is an Indian para-athlete who competes in archery at national and international levels. In 2023, she made history by becoming the first female armless archer to reach the Archery World Finals.
Wiki/Biography
Sheetal Devi was born in 2007 (age 16 in 2023) in Loi Dhar, a remote village in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir. She grew up in a home that lacked basic amenities. In 2022, she will be studying in Class 10. She has loved going to school since she was a child, but due to her physical disability, she worried that she would not be able to study like other children. However, with the support of her family and friends, Sheetal did well in studies. In 2022, coach Kuldeep Vedwan met Sheetal Devi through an army personnel. Vidwan soon invited Hitar to join the Vaishno Devi Shrine Committee Archery Academy in Katra, where he trained her in archery. A special bow was prepared for her and she had to shoot with her feet and chest instead of her hands. Within six months, Hitar had mastered it to a high level and started competing. Recognizing her talents, the Army took on the responsibility of funding her education. At the same time, the army also made great efforts to arrange medical assistance and provide her with artificial limbs.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′3″
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
family
Parents and siblings
Sheetal Devi’s father was a farmer. Her mother was a shepherd. She has a younger sister Shivani.
Hitar Devi’s father
Hitar Devi and her mother
Sheetal Devi and her sister Shivani
Profession
Sheetal Devi started her career as an athlete by participating in the National Youth Archery Championship in November 2022, where she had to compete against able-bodied athletes. She then competed in the Khelo India Nationals and the Women’s Khelo India Games with good results.
Sheetal Devi during the game
In May 2023, she made her international debut at a Para Championship in the Czech Republic, where she won two silvers and a bronze. Two months later, Hitar competed in the 2023 Para Archery Championships. On the first day of the tournament, she finished fourth in the composite women’s qualifier, just eight points behind compatriot Sarita. Notably, the pair also set a new world record in the doubles event. In the semifinals, the amateur athlete defeated compatriot Sarita 137-133 to advance to the final. Hitar is the first female armless archer to reach the world finals.
Sheetal Devi takes aim during archery competition
Medals and Achievements
- India Khelo Nationals Silver Medal
- Indian Women’s Khelo Games Bronze Medal
- Won two silvers and one bronze at the Czech Republic Para Championships
- Won first place in Paralympic Trials
Facts / Trivia
- Hitar was born without hands.
- Sheetal imitated famous archer Matt Stutzman, grabbing the bow with the help of his feet.
Sheetal Devi with Matt Stutzman and her coach Kuldeep Vedwan
- When Hitar starts archery in 2022, she will become the world’s first female archer without hands. However, in 2023, there are six archers in the world who have lost both hands.
- In July 2023, Hitar will be ranked 18th in the world at the Composite Women’s Open.
- As of July 2023, her qualifying best score in the women’s compound event is 682 points.
- Speaking about Shida in an interview, her coach Kuldeep Vedwan said:
She came to the academy and started practicing more than eight months ago. She was born without arms and her abilities are obvious to all. Her dedication to the sport can be seen in the fact that she comes to practice early in the morning and then goes to school. She returns to practice after class. On holidays, she starts at 7 a.m., has lunch, and ends at 5 p.m. Sheetal is a para-athlete but she is competing against regular athletes. There was a selection process for the competition she entered and she performed very well. “
- Sheetal revealed in an interview that she initially wanted to have prosthetic limbs in order to live a normal life and pursue a career as a teacher. However, her life took a remarkable turn when she met Preethi Rai, founder of Bengaluru-based NGO Being You. Preethi discovered Sheetal’s inner strength and encouraged her to explore archery as a potential career option. Sheetal was initially hesitant but eventually decided to join the academy and begin her athletic journey.
- In 2023, Sheetal was the only armless archer to compete in the World Para Championships.
- In a media chat, coach Abhilasha from Shrine Board Academy shared the challenges they faced while introducing archery to Sheetal. She said Sheetal was inspired to take up the sport after witnessing other archers at the academy. The academy arranged a special bow for her, and amazingly, in just six months, she mastered archery. Hitar even started competing with regular archers, not just umbrella archers. Teaching Archery to Hitar, especially the technique of free-hand archery, was a daunting task for her instructors. To help her, Kuldeep and Abhilasha showed her Sheetal videos of famous American armless archer Matt Stutzman, which helped a lot in her progress. Matt visited the academy himself, met Hitar and provided valuable advice on modifying her bow. Matt, who has a background in Paralympic medals, scored a 685 in the academy, while Hitar was also strong in the academy with a 689.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education