Khelo India Para Games 2025 | Silver girl Payal Nag: Thaan lo toh kuchh namumkin nahi
Payal Nag – world's only quadruple amputee competing in archery without hands or feet – has won a silver medal at the ongoing Khelo India Para Games in Delhi.
Nothing is impossible — and if anyone proves that, it’s Payal Nag. At just 17, this para-archer is rewriting the rules of possibility, defying every limitation in her path. The only quadruple amputee in the world to compete in archery without hands or feet, Payal has turned adversity into triumph. Earlier this year, she became a national champion, clinching two gold medals at the Para Archery National Championships. Now, she has added yet another accolade to her growing list, winning silver in the compound archery open final at the ongoing Khelo India Para Games in Delhi.
“Agar andar se kuch thaan lo, toh kuch bhi namumkin nahi hai. Bas apne pe vishwaas rakho,” she says with quiet conviction, adding, “As a child, I used to watch other kids play and feel heartbroken. People taunted my parents, called me names. That day, I made a promise to myself — I would prove them all wrong. I would achieve something extraordinary, even without hands and feet.”
Payal’s journey into para sports is nothing short of remarkable. Born in Odisha, she first turned to drawing, using her residual limbs to express herself. Her artwork soon went viral on social media, catching the eye of coach Kuldeep Vedwan, who saw her raw potential and introduced her to para-archery. With the help of prosthetics, she embraced the sport with all her heart. “I started drawing because I wanted to create something meaningful,” she shares and adds, “But everything changed when I met Kuldeep sir. I owe everything to him — without him, I wouldn’t be here.”
Her coach, brimming with pride, recalls their first encounter: “The moment I saw her drawings, I knew she had a gift. Mujhe dikh gaya tha ki yeh kudrat ka karishma hai. And it’s her sheer hard work that has brought her this far.”
For Payal, this is just the beginning. “Mujhe Paralympics mein apna Tiranga lehrate hue dekhna hai. I want to stand on that podium with a medal for India,” she says, her voice unwavering. And with the way she’s going, that dream is well within reach.
For more, follow HT City Delhi Junction
