Mumbai: On his return from South Korea, archery coach Gaurav Sharma had an unusual addition to his to-do list. He needs to purchase a pair of premium sunglasses, but not for himself.
Ahead of the World Para Archery Championships in Gwangju, which concluded last weekend, Sharma had promised his ward Sheetal Devi that he would buy her a pair of sunglasses if she won a medal.
At the Gwangju International Archery Centre on Saturday, Sheetal took on defending champion Oznur Cure of Turkey in the final of the women’s individual compound event, and won gold.
The triumph made the 18-year-old from Loidhar, a village in the Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir, the first-ever armless woman archer to win the world para championship gold.
“It was an unexpected feeling,” Sharma said, as he recalled the moments immediately after the win. “We were laughing, we were crying. The first thing she said was ‘sir, humne kar diya. (I did it).’”
It did help that Sheetal had some momentum going into the match, as she had already won a silver medal in the women’s team competition and bronze in the mixed event. This was also not the first time she was competing in the individual final at the Worlds.
{{/usCountry}}It did help that Sheetal had some momentum going into the match, as she had already won a silver medal in the women’s team competition and bronze in the mixed event. This was also not the first time she was competing in the individual final at the Worlds.
{{/usCountry}}She won a silver at the last edition in 2023, the tournament in which she announced herself to the world - through both her skill and disability. Sheetal was born without arms due to a condition called phocomelia. So, she uses her legs to handle the bow and arrow.
Barely two years after taking up the sport, she became the first armless woman to win a medal at the World Para Archery Championships. A few months later, she won two golds and a silver medal at the Para Asian Games and then became the world No.1 in compound para archery. At the 2024 Paris Paralympics, she won a bronze in the mixed team event.
Sheetal was one of the best known para sports stars when she shifted training base from Katra to Patiala in February to start working with Sharma.
“The challenge was how to handle that success,” said Sharma, who also guided Harvinder Singh to bronze at the Tokyo Paralympics and gold at the Paris Games last year.
“She’s a famous athlete, but a very humble person. She’s not into social media, she uses her phone only to communicate with her family. She keeps herself busy by studying (she is currently in Class 12) and reading. Whenever she’s free, she likes to spend time with the younger students at the academy.”
For all her skill and talent, she did have to overcome a few hurdles while preparing for the event in South Korea. At the last World Para Archery Championship, she managed to win silver despite struggling with an illness that forced her to be hospitalised after her semi-final.
This time, she had to get used to a new bow.
“There were a few ups and downs with the performance because of the technique. She had to change her bow and it took some time to adjust to it,” Sharma explained. “We changed it about three months before the World Championships. Generally it can take six months, but she adjusted quickly.”
The way she has been able to adapt to the changes has been impressive. And despite all the achievements coming in while still in her teenage years, Sharma asserts that her “hunger is only increasing.”
Just two days after returning from Gwangju with the gold, she was in Sonepat, participating in the Youth Asian Games trials.
“She is dedicated to her work. She is up at 6 in the morning, and is always on time for practice, shooting at least 300 arrows per day. She never misses a session,” Sharma said of Sheetal, who is supported by Olympic Gold Quest and is funded by TOPS.
“She is diligent in her strength and conditioning training, she’s studying in her free time, and has not gone home at all. Her focus is only on her archery.”
Sheetal, he added, has already shifted her attention towards the Para Asian Games next year, and qualification for the 2028 Paralympics.
“That hunger is now for Paralympic gold,” Sharma added.
The next targets are set, and both player and coach have already immersed themselves towards achieving those goals. But Sharma admits that he has one distraction he has to deal with soon.
“I have to go shopping,” he said.