THURSDAY, MAY 09, 2024
Ajit John
PANJIM: No challenge is big enough for physically challenged teen archer Sheetal Devi who is aiming to shoot for glory at the ongoing Junior National Archery Championship here, sans her arms.
All of 15, this differently-abled archer from Jammu and Kashmir is competing with archers with normal abilities in Goa by shooting with her toes.
Life in the mountains is really tough but this has made Sheetal even tougher, and strengthened her grit and resolve. She has always dreamt of becoming a teacher and to be a contributor to society. Kuldeep Vedwan the coach of the Jammu and Kashmir team which is participating in the junior national archery championship in Goa said the young archer had commenced training at the Shree Mata Vaishno Devi archery academy.
Kuldeep said, “She came over eight months ago to the academy and started practising. She was born without arms and her ability was obvious to everyone. Her dedication to the sport can be realised by the fact that she comes to practice early in the morning and then leaves for school. She returns to practice after classes. When there is a holiday, she starts at 7 am, breaks for lunch and then finishes at 5 pm. Sheetal is a para athlete but she is competing with normal athletes. There is a selection process which is conducted for a tournament which she participated in and she did very well.”
Sheetal is just one of the para-athletes Kuldeep is involved in training. She is presently in class 10 and has already become a role model for the girls and the youth in the region.
He said it was important to ensure para athletes reached their potential. Sheetal will be competing Tuesday in the Compound event which requires her to shoot a target fifty metres away. Presently she is placed 56 out of 84 competitors. Vedwan says she will be competing one-on-one and he hopes she goes far into the competition.
