Who won three medals at the Asian Para Games?
Sheetal Devi is a 16-year-old archer from Jammu and Kashmir. She recently won three medals in archery at this year’s Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China. She won two gold medals and one silver medal for India.
The sports governing body, World Archery, says she is the first female archer without arms to compete internationally. She also won a silver medal at the World Para Archery Championships in the Czech Republic. By doing so, she became the first female archer without arms to win a medal in the world championship.
What do we know about Sheetal Devi?
Sheetal Devi was born with a rare condition under which one or both upper or lower limbs are absent, leaving the hand or foot directly attached to the body. Sheetal uses her legs, feet, and shoulder to do archery (whoa!).
She said that she couldn’t lift the bow correctly at the beginning. However, after months of practice, it became easier for her. She says her parents, friends, and coaches helped her a lot. Even without arms, she worked hard to get where she is today.
She is an inspiration to many. Her achievements show that with proper determination, one can achieve anything they want. Sheetal Devi will also be taking part in the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
What is the Asian Para Games?
The Asian Para Games, also known as Para Asiad, is a sports event for athletes with physical disabilities. It's organised by the Asian Paralympic Committee and is held every four years. This year's games started on 22nd October 2023 and ended on 28th October 2023.
Originally, this year's tournament was planned for 2022, but it got postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the fourth edition of the tournament. The first Asian Para Games was held in China in 2010.
The next tournament will be in Japan in 2026. India finished fifth on the medal table this year, with 111 medals (29 gold, 31 silver, and 51 bronze). This is the most medals India has ever won in this competition. The top three teams in the table are China, Iran, and Japan.
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