India’s armless archer, Sheetal Devi, came close to breaking the world record in the women’s individual compound archery competition on Thursday, 29th August, at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. Competing in the qualifying round, she scored 703 points, surpassing the previous Para Games and world records. However, her opponent outscored her with the final shot of the qualification round.
Both archers broke the records previously held by Jessica Stretton (694 points in Para Games) and Phoebe Paterson (698 points WR). Their impressive performances secured them spots in the Round of 32.
Consistency from the start
Sheetal remained a strong contender for the top position throughout the ranking round, consistently ranking among the top two archers. Her steady performance in the second half allowed her to surpass Brazil’s Karla Gogel and Turkey’s Oznur Cure. It appeared that she would finish at the top and set new records, but a final shot of 9 points left her with a total of 703 points. Another fellow Indian archer Sarita finished in 9th place with 682 points.
Former record holder finishes seventh
Phoebe Paterson, the previous world record holder, finished in seventh place with 688 points, which marked her best performance of the season.
