Two golds in hours: Sheetal Devi writes another golden chapter at the Asian Para Games

India’s armless archer Sheetal Devi barely savored her first gold medal of the day before returning to the range to claim another. The 19-year-old produced a stunning comeback to clinch the women’s individual title at the 2026 Asian Para Games on Thursday, beating Singapore’s Alim Nur Syahidah 142-139 in a thrilling final.

Less than two hours after teaming up with Toman Kumar to win the mixed team gold, Sheetal was back in action at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park multi-purpose venue. The world champion again proved her ability to serve under pressure as she overcame a four-point deficit to secure her second gold of the Games and third medal overall.

Asian Para Games 2026, October 22: Update

FOUR POINT RETURN

The victory was particularly significant as it was repeated in the Hangzhou 2023 final, where Sheetal also defeated Alim to win the individual gold. The Indian has now successfully defended her title, underlining her dominance in the women’s race.

However, the final was far from clear-cut.

Alim got off to an impressive start, building a four-point lead after the opening two ends of six arrows. With the Singapore archer threatening to take control of the competition, Sheetal needed an answer to keep her hopes of another gold alive.

And the Indian performed in spectacular fashion. Sheetal Devi staged a sensational comeback by winning gold in the Women’s Compound Individual event. (Image: Screengrab from results.apg2026.org)

Sheetal unrolled six 10s across the other two ends, including three X’s, which are the arrows that land closest to the center of the target. Her remarkable scoring drive turned the match and allowed her to build a two-point lead heading into the final.

With the title on the line, Sheetal held her nerve and played three 9s to finish with 27 points in the final round. Needing a strong finish to overcome the deficit, Alim managed scores of 9, 8 and 9 for 26 points.

That was enough for Sheetal to seal a memorable victory and add another gold to her growing collection.

ANOTHER GOLDEN DOUBLE

Born without arms, Sheetal has become one of India’s most remarkable sporting talents. He uses his legs and feet to position the compound bow, while relying on his shoulder and jaw to draw and release the string. Her achievements have made her one of the leading names in international para archery, with the world number one continuing to perform on the biggest stages.

The individual gold was Sheetal’s third medal of the ongoing games. Apart from Thursday’s two golds, she also won silver in the women’s doubles along with Odisha’s Payal Nag, who is a quadruple amputee.

Sheetal enjoyed a similarly successful outing at the 2022 edition, winning gold in the singles and mixed teams along with silver in the women’s doubles event.

Four years later, she again proved her ability to rise to the occasion. Two gold medals in a matter of hours, topped off with a comeback win in the individual final, made Thursday another big day in Sheetal’s remarkable archery journey.

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