Indian Archer Defeats Singapore’s Noor Alim Syahida 142-139, Finishes Campaign with Two Golds and a Silver

Aichi-Nagoya, October 22(HS): India’s star para archer Sheetal Devi continued her impressive run at the Asian Para Games by winning the gold medal in the women’s individual compound event. She defeated Singapore’s Noor Alim Syahida 142-139 in the gold-medal contest, concluding her campaign with two gold medals and one silver.

Earlier in the day, Sheetal had teamed up with Toman Kumar to win gold in the compound mixed team archery event. She had also secured a silver medal alongside Payal Nag.

The individual final was closely contested in its opening stages, with both archers level at 95-95 after 10 arrows. Sheetal subsequently began to establish an advantage through her precise shooting. Across her final five arrows, she scored 10 points twice and nine points on three occasions.

Syahida, meanwhile, managed four nine-point scores and one eight-point score in her final five attempts. This gave Sheetal a three-point advantage, securing her the gold medal.

With this victory, Sheetal matched her performance at the previous edition of the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, where she had also won two gold medals and one silver. Her outstanding showing once again brought distinction to Indian archery.

Hailing from Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir, Sheetal was born without arms. However, she has never allowed her physical condition to stand in the way of her sporting ambitions. She uses her feet and legs to hold the bow and draws the bowstring with the help of her shoulder and jaw to execute her shots. Her extraordinary technique has earned her a distinctive place in international archery.

Sheetal made history in 2023 by winning a silver medal at the World Para Archery Championships, becoming the first woman archer without arms in the world to compete at that level. She was honoured with the Arjuna Award in 2023, and World Archery has named her the Para Archer of the Year twice.

At the 2024 Paris Paralympics, she won a bronze medal in the mixed team event. She also delivered an impressive performance at the 2025 World Para Archery Championships, winning gold in the women’s compound open event and silver in the women’s team competition.

India currently occupies fifth place in the medal standings with a total of 73 medals, comprising 17 gold, 22 silver and 34 bronze.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar