Meet Payal Nag: The Quadruple Amputee Archer Who Shocked the World

A Remarkable Victory in Bangkok

In a stunning display of skill, Payal Nag, an 18-year-old archer from Odisha and a quadruple amputee, triumphed over her world No. 1 teammate, Sheetal Devi, to secure the gold medal at the World Archery Para Series in Bangkok. This victory was part of India's impressive performance, where the nation topped the medal tally with seven golds.

Payal clinched the title with a score of 139-136 in the compound women's final, marking a significant achievement in her burgeoning career. Overall, India concluded the event with a total of 16 medals, which included five silvers and four bronzes.

This win was not Payal's first encounter with Sheetal; she had previously defeated her at the Para Nationals in Jaipur in January 2025.

Competing in her second international tournament after debuting at the Dubai 2025 Asian Youth Para Games, Payal exhibited remarkable poise under pressure, outshining her more experienced rival.

She kicked off the match with a perfect score of 10, leading the first end 27-25, but Sheetal quickly leveled the score. After both archers were tied at 54 after the second end, Payal elevated her performance in the third end, scoring two 9s and a 10 to take a lead of 82-80. She sealed her victory with a strong final end, which included two more 10s.

Payal's journey is truly inspiring. The daughter of a migrant worker from Balangir district, she lost all four limbs due to an accident involving a live wire at a brick kiln in 2015. Under the guidance of Sheetal's childhood coach, Kuldeep Vedwan, she trained at the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Sports Complex in Katra before Sheetal moved to Sonepat.

Sheetal, a decorated para archer, has won two gold medals at the Asian Para Games in 2022 and made history as India's youngest Paralympic medallist with a bronze in the mixed team event at the Paris 2024 Games.

Since her national debut in 2025, Payal has quickly climbed the ranks, achieving notable victories, including her earlier win over Sheetal in Jaipur, a silver at the Khelo India Para Games, and a bronze at the national championships.

India's gold medal success was further highlighted by Toman Kumar and Bhawna, who also emerged victorious in their respective events. Toman defeated Australia's Jonathon Milne 146-142 in the compound men's final, while Bhawna dominated Thailand's Phattharaphon Pattawaeo with a 6-0 victory in the recurve women's final.

Double Paralympic medallist Harvinder Singh had to settle for silver after losing 3-7 to Indonesia's Kholidin in the recurve final, and Swati Chaudhary also earned a silver, falling 3-7 to South Korea's Ok Geum Kim in the W1 women's gold medal match.

Earlier in the competition, Shyam Sunder Swami secured a bronze by narrowly defeating compatriot and Paris Paralympic bronze medallist Rakesh Kumar in a tense playoff in the compound men's individual event, with the match decided by a tie-break after both archers scored identically.

Rakesh finished fourth after this close contest, while Anjum Tanwar also ended her campaign in fourth place in the W1 women's individual event, losing 2-6 in her bronze medal match against a competitor from South Korea.

This event in Bangkok follows the Asia Cup's first leg held at the same venue, where India had previously secured 10 medals, including two golds.