Defending champion Sheetal Devi showcased remarkable resilience to secure her second gold medal at the Khelo India Para Games, overcoming Odisha’s Payal Nag 109-103 in a gripping women’s compound open final at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Sunday.
Despite trailing early against Payal, the world’s first quadruple amputee woman archer, Sheetal regained momentum in the third round and sealed her victory in the decisive fifth round.
Payal, 17, who recently transitioned to a new shooting technique using a single prosthetic leg, put up a spirited fight but had to settle for silver. Her journey, marked by incredible determination and adaptation, has inspired many in the para-archery circuit.
Jharkhand’s Vijay Sundi beat Haryana’s Vikas Bhakar 6-4 in the men’s recurve open gold medal match while Haryana’s Pooja beat Maharashtra’s Rajshri Rathod 6-4 in the women’s recurve open gold medal match.
All eyes were on the women’s compound gold medal match. Sheetal Devi started with a score of 8 and 7 while Payal started off with double 10s. Payal, 17, however lost the upper hand in the third round where she shot a 7 for the first time and Sheetal got back to her consistent best of 9s and 10s. The deciding fifth round saw Sheetal clinching the gold at the Khelo India Para Games 2025.
“Firstly, Payal played very well in the final and with her continuous hard work, she will definitely get a medal for India soon. Personally, I am grateful for all the blessings bestowed by Mata Rani that I won my second gold medal at the Khelo India Para Games,” Sheetal told.
The soft-spoken Payal, who radiates childish innocence, spoke about the technical aspects following her competition in her first Khelo India Para Games.
“Earlier, I used to shoot the arrows with two devices in my prosthetic legs but now, I’m shooting with just one leg. It was a problem adjusting but I still reached the final despite the discomfort and also there was a lot of windy conditions today. But I am happy to have competed in the final and got the silver.
As per her coach Kuldeep Vedwan, Payal got a rebirth in para-archery after getting the new device a month back.
“Since she is the first woman archer in the world who doesn’t have all the four limbs, it was a challenge for me to create an additional device inside her prosthetic leg. She now uses just one leg to shoot her arrows.
“Since the device was put just a month back, Payal’s journey in para-archery started from complete scratch yet again. With all the hard work and dedication, she put in the last month, she deservedly got the silver today,” said Kuldeep.
Payal also got philosophical. “The sunny conditions, heat and the wind are nothing compared to the struggles and the pain we have faced through life. We have to play through it all,” she added.
In the men’s compound open gold medal match, Rajasthan’s Shyam Sundar Swami beat Toman Kumar of Chhattisgarh 140-139 in a neck-to-neck encounter. In the bronze medal matches, Rakesh Kumar showcased the unbelievable consistency he is well-known for, to defeat Haryana’s Parmender 143-140. Jyoti Baliyan defeated Delhi’s Lalpati 136-132.
In the recurve open bronze medal matches, Dhanna Godara of Rajasthan and Jharkhand’s Sukriti Singh won in the men’s and women’s categories respectively.