India’s teenage para-archer Sheetal Devi made history at the Para World Archery Championships 2025 in Gwangju, South Korea, grabbing the women’s compound individual gold with a nail-biting 146-143 victory over Turkey’s top-ranked Oznur Cure Girdi on Saturday.
The 17-year-old from Jammu and Kashmir wrapped up an incredible tournament, walking away with three medals: gold in the individual event, silver in the women’s compound open team, and bronze in the mixed team competition. Her performance highlights India’s rising star in para-archery.
In the final, Sheetal showed incredible focus. The first end ended in a 29-29 tie, but she pulled ahead in the second with three perfect 10s, winning it 30-27. The third end tied again at 29-29, and she dropped the fourth just slightly, but she clung to a 116-114 lead. Then, in the last end, Sheetal nailed three flawless arrows to seal the win.
This gold felt extra special because it avenged her narrow 140-138 loss to Girdi in the 2023 Pilsen World Championships final. Earlier, Sheetal dominated her semifinal, defeating Great Britain’s Jodie Grinham 145-140.
Teaming up with Sarita Beniwal for the women’s compound open team final, the Indian duo started strong, taking the first end 38-37. But Turkey’s Girdi and Fatma Bursa fought back hard, and a seven on the final arrow cost India the match. The Turkish pair scored 39 out of 40 in that end to win 152-148, giving India silver.
Sheetal also paired with Toman Kumar for mixed team bronze, edging out Grinham and Nathan MacQueen of Great Britain 152-149.
Even without the team gold, Sheetal’s individual success proves her poise and skill under pressure, inspiring fans of para-archery worldwide.
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