Sheetal Devi Advances to Finals at World Archery Para Series
Sheetal Devi Shines in Ahmedabad
File image of para archer Sheetal Devi (Photo:@airnewsalerts/X)
Ahmedabad, Sep 7: Sheetal Devi, a celebrated para archer and local favorite, has successfully reached the finals of the compound women’s individual event at the third stage of the 2026 World Archery Para Series. She achieved this by defeating her fellow Indian archer Sarita with a score of 145-143 in the semi-finals held here on Monday.
As the top seed, Sheetal will compete against Kazakhstan's second seed Aizada Seidan in the final scheduled for Wednesday. Sarita, on the other hand, will vie for the bronze medal against China's Wang Huiting, who eliminated Payal Nag, the world’s first quadruple amputee, in the second round.
Sheetal made a remarkable impression during India's international hosting debut, achieving a season-best score of 698 to lead the compound women’s qualification on Sunday.
The 19-year-old armless archer surpassed her own Asian record by one point, which she had set earlier in Nove Mesto. In her recent performance, she scored 25 tens and 26 Xs, with the X-ring serving as the tie-breaker within the 10-ring, allowing her to finish 10 points ahead of her competitors.
This outstanding performance also showcases Sheetal's readiness for the upcoming Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games, where she aims to defend her titles in the compound women’s individual and mixed team events.
Kazakhstan’s Aizada Seidan, currently ranked 41st in the world, also achieved a personal best of 688, which included 17 Xs. Tokyo 2020 Champion Phoebe Paterson Pine finished fifth with a score of 681, while Payal ended up in 14th place with a score of 654 in the 72-arrow qualification round.
Additionally, Sheetal teamed up with experienced archer Rakesh Kumar to set a new world record in compound mixed team qualification on Sunday. Together, they scored an impressive 1400 points, surpassing their previous world record set at Paris 2024 by one point. Sheetal also secured the top seed in the compound women’s doubles after partnering with Lalpati to achieve a score of 1368.
In the men's compound individual category, reigning world champion Toman Kumar, seeded fourth, will compete for the bronze medal against Iraq's Abbas Kadhim, who eliminated Rakesh in the opening round. Rakesh finished just two points behind Swagumilang, who achieved a career-best score of 702, while Toman Kumar secured fourth place with a score of 696.
Rakesh and Toman also combined their efforts to score 1398, earning the top seed in the compound men’s doubles.