Sheetal Devi wins two Asian Para Games golds in one day and defends her individual title

Indian archer Sheetal Devi won two gold medals within a couple of hours at the Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on Thursday, October 22. She first took the compound mixed team title with Toman Kumar, then won the women’s compound individual final to defend the title she won at Hangzhou in 2023.

The armless archer from Jammu and Kashmir beat Singapore’s Alim Nur Syahidah 142–139 at Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park, in a repeat of the Hangzhou final. Alim led by four points after the first two ends of six arrows each. Sheetal then shot six 10s, including three Xs, the arrows closest to the centre of the target, across the next two ends to go two points ahead. She closed with three 9s for 27 in the last three-arrow end, while Alim managed 26.

Earlier in the day, Sheetal and Toman beat Indonesia’s Teodora Audi Ayudia Ferelly and Ken Swagumilang 151–148 in the mixed team final, India’s first archery gold of these Games. The top seeds led 38–37 after the first end and 77–73 after the second, and held their lead to the finish. It was Sheetal’s second straight mixed team title; she won the event with Rakesh Kumar at Hangzhou in 2023.

“Sheetal successfully defended her Women’s Individual title, winning gold for the second consecutive edition of the Asian Para Games,” the Sports Authority of India said on X.

Sheetal leaves Nagoya with three medals: the two golds and a silver in the women’s compound doubles, which she won with Payal Nag of Odisha. That matches her medal haul from the last edition, according to the Sports Authority of India.

There was another first on the range on Thursday. Swati Chaudhary became India’s first medallist in the W1 category, for archers with significant impairments in both the upper and lower limbs, winning silver after losing the women’s individual final 4–6 to China’s Cen Mengkan.

As The Indian Idiot reported earlier, Sheetal and Toman had set a mixed team world record in qualification at these Games.