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Team India’s archer Sheetal Devi introduced herself to the world at the 2024 Paris Paralympics by way of a perfect bull’s-eye.
Devi, 17, is one of four archers without arms competing at the Paralympics, and the only woman.
Team USA’s Matt Stutzman, Belgium’s Piotr Van Montagu, Mexico’s Víctor Sardina Viveros do not have arms and use other body parts, like their feet, to load and fire a bow and arrow.
Devi has gone viral, with nearly 60 million views in one clip posted to X, for firing a bull’s-eye during the 1/8 elimination round of the women’s individual compound open event.
“Oh, what a start for Devi,” the announcer said as the crowd roared.
Devi thanked the person who posted the clip.
“You’re the inspiration of billions of people now,” the person responded. “May you always keep shining bright.”
Responses to the clip have praised Devi, who went on to lose the round by a single point and was unable to advance to the quarterfinal.
Devi won bronze along with Rakesh Kumar in the mixed compound archery event on Monday.
She has other titles to her name. In 2023, she became the first female armless archer to win a medal at the Para World Championships, Olympics.com reported. She was also a gold medalist in at the Asian Para Games in 2023.
“Look how calm she is .. brilliantly done,” one user wrote in response to a video of her bullseye.
“Sheetal Devi is poetry in motion,” another said.
“Pure bullseye! Absolutely impressive!!” a third added.
Devi was born without fully formed arms due to a rare congenital disorder called phocomelia that leads to underdeveloped limbs, Olympics.com reported.
She has been “athletically gifted” since childhood and got into archery following a youth event organized by the Indian Army in 2021. Army coaches saw her “innate athleticism and confidence,” according to Olympics.com.
Stutzman, who was born without arms and won gold in the men's individual compound open Sunday, has been a mentor to Devi, according to Paralympics.org.
“I want her to be successful,” Stutzman, who pioneered the technique Devi uses, told Paralympics.org.
He said archers like Devi make him “OK” with the idea of retirement.
“I can retire now and be OK with everything. I’ve done really well, but the fact that we have other armless archers is way more important. It builds archery,” he said.
