Sheetal Devi, India’s armless archer finished second in the women’s individual compound open ranking round at the Paris Paralympics, securing a spot in the round 16.
Devi scored 703 points, her score surpassed the previous world record of 698 set by Phoebe Pine Paterson from Great Britain earlier this month. Devi shot 59 tens and 24 Xs, while her Turkish opponent achieved 56 tens and 29 Xs during the 72-arrow contest.
The performance on the opening day at the Paralympics allowed Devi and the other top-four finishers in the ranking round to skip the round of 32 and move directly to the round of 16.
Devi will compete against the winner of the round of 32 match bwtween Mariana Zuniga of Chile and Choi Na Mi of Korea, who finished 15th and 18th respectively in the ranking round.
Previously, Zuniga had won a silver medal in the women’s individual compound open at the Tokyo Paralympics. Devi became the first Indian woman to win two gold medals in a single edition in last year’s Asian Para Games in Hangzhou. She secured golds in the women’s individual compound and mixed team events and took a silver in the women’s doubles.
The 17-year-old Indian Prodigy was born in Kistwar, Jammu & Kashmir with Phocomelia, a rare congenital disorder that causes underdeveloped limbs. She uses her right feet, right shoulder and jaw to release the arrow and gets the upper body strength.
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