Asian Para Games: Sheetal Devi leads charge, India’s tally up to 99

Hangzhou, October 27

Teenaged armless archer Sheetal Devi became the first Indian woman to win two gold medals in a single edition of the Asian Para Games as the country’s record haul swelled to 99 on the penultimate day of competitions here today. India won 17 medals, including seven gold, today, with the most number of medals — eight (with four gold) — coming in badminton.

These medals mean so much, and look much better than the bangles. I hope these will inspire many others. Sheetal Devi

With one day left in the Hangzhou Games, India are placed sixth in the standings with 25 gold, 29 silver and 45 bronze, behind China (196 gold, 159 silver, 138 bronze), Japan (39, 44, 56), Iran (39, 39, 37), Korea (28, 30, 37) and Indonesia (26, 21, 32).

On Thursday, India had gone past the earlier highest Asian Para Games tally of 72 medals (15 gold, 24 silver, 33 bronze) achieved in the 2018 edition. The country is now certain to win 100 medals. The para athletes are set to emulate their counterparts who had won a record haul of 107 medals in the Hangzhou Asian Games.

Sheetal clinched the women’s individual compound gold today to add to the gold she won in the compound mixed team event yesterday. In fact, it is a hat-trick of medals for the 16-year-old from Jammu and Kashmir, who holds her bow with her foot. She had also won silver in the women’s doubles compound event.

Sheetal was born with phocomelia syndrome, a rare congenital disorder which led to underdeveloped limbs.

Discovered at a military camp in a remote part of Kishtwar and adopted by the Indian Army in her childhood, Sheetal, who became the first armless woman to win a Para World Archery Championships medal in July, defeated Singapore’s Alim Nur Syahidah 144-142 in the gold medal match.

Ankur Dhama had become the first Indian to win two gold medals in a single edition earlier this week.

Reigning Paralympics champion shuttler Pramod Bhagat secured a gold medal in the singles SL3 category as he outplayed compatriot Nitesh Kumar 22-20 21-19 in the final. — PTI

Golden feet

Like any other girl of her age, Sheetal Devi would have wanted to dress up beautifully and hear the jangle of bangles on her arms. But that was not to be because of a cruel twist of fate that left her arm-less at birth. Sheetal went to a clinic in Bengaluru to get prosthetic arms but she never underwent the procedure. Instead of bangles, she now takes immense pride in adorning herself with gold medals.