The armless archer Sheetal Devi, who has captured the imagination of the country with her courageous journey and inspired everyone with her two gold and a silver medal in the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, interacted with the media here on Friday to express her strengthened focus for the Paralympics in Paris next year.
The fascinating story of the 16-year-old Sheetal, the world’s No. 1 para archer, will find a special place in the next edition of the book, Being You: Against all odds, written by Preethi.
It was the first edition of this book, with 100 stories, launched in 2021 that had inspired Sheetal.
Unveiling the cover of the second edition, Sheetal said, “I have my eyes on the Paris Paralympics. I am making all efforts to ensure that the Indian flag flies high on the podium and I bring back as many medals as possible”.
It was not just a book, but Preethi’s initiative was part of a drive to document and celebrate human stories to inspire the society as a whole.
“Till two years back, I had not stepped out of Jammu and Kashmir. It felt overwhelming to go around the world. I handle those moments calmly and ensure that I hit the bulls eye”, said Sheetal.
“When we first met her in Bengaluru in 2021, Sheetal was keen only to have prosthetic hands. After a lot of convincing, she decided to take up sports. I and my team were convinced that Sheetal had all the qualities and abilities to become an athlete. With the help of GoSports, we reached out to sports physio Srikanth Iyengar. He recognised her sublime core strength, which Sheetal had developed while regularly climbing trees in her village. That was how archery was chosen for her”, recalled Preethi, about the non-interested athlete becoming a world class archer, blowing the minds of everyone who gets a glimpse of her skill and incredible accuracy.
Sheetal will continue to train at the Mata Vaishnodevi Shrine Board sports complex in Katra, as she has been supported there ever since she took up the sport.
“I will continue to improve my game and focus on being at my best in Paris”, said Sheetal, who dropped the prosthetic limbs to shine in her chosen sport.
Sheetal’s story in the next edition of the book, scheduled to be released in January, will also acknowledge all the many people who had helped tune her career into a memorable journey.
