India’s Sheetal Devi capped a record-breaking campaign at the Asian Para Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, by winning gold medals in the women’s compound individual and mixed team archery events on Thursday.
The 19-year-old para archer also won silver in the women’s compound doubles alongside Payal Nag on Wednesday, finishing the Games with two gold medals and one silver.
Sheetal Devi matched the medal haul from her Asian Para Games debut at Hangzhou 2023, where she had also won the individual and mixed team titles and finished runner-up in the women’s doubles.
Currently the world No. 1 in women’s compound para archery, Sheetal retained her individual crown with a 142-139 victory over Singapore’s Alim Nur Syahidah in the final.
The Indian archer trailed by four points after the opening two ends but recovered with six consecutive 10s across the next two ends to move into a two-point lead.
She then scored 27 points from her final three arrows to secure a three-point victory over Alim, whom she had also beaten in the gold-medal match at Hangzhou 2023.
Earlier on Thursday, Sheetal partnered Toman Kumar to win the compound mixed team gold medal, defeating Indonesia’s Teodora Audi Ayudia Ferelly and Ken Swagumilang 151-148 in the final.
The Indian pair established a four-point advantage after the opening two ends and maintained their lead through the remaining arrows to secure the title.
Their path to the final, however, was far from straightforward.
In the semi-finals against Chinese Taipei’s Lee Yun-Hsien and Yang Jyun-Kai, Toman missed the scoring zone with his final arrow, registering a zero. India nevertheless held on for a narrow 142-141 victory, with Sheetal’s accuracy proving crucial.
The mixed team triumph also saw Sheetal successfully defend the title she had won alongside Rakesh Kumar at Hangzhou 2023.
Sheetal Devi’s record-breaking Asian Para Games 2026 campaign
Sheetal’s success in the medal rounds followed a remarkable performance during qualification.
On Monday, she scored 704 out of a possible 720 points in the women’s compound individual ranking round, equalling the world record held by Türkiye’s Öznur Girdi and establishing a new Asian record.
Her score improved the previous Asian record of 698 by six points and surpassed her own Asian Para Games record of 680, set in Hangzhou.
Sheetal registered 57 scores of 10 from her 72 arrows, including 32 Xs, which are arrows landing in the innermost scoring zone.
Along with Toman, who scored 698 points in the men’s compound qualification round, Sheetal also registered a world record aggregate of 1402 in the mixed team event.
The Indian duo bettered the previous world record of 1400, which Sheetal herself had set with Rakesh Kumar.
Sheetal also registered a score of 149 against Hong Kong China’s Chan Yuen Wah in the women’s compound individual pre-quarter-finals, surpassing the previous world record of 148 set by Great Britain’s Jessica Stretton in 2019.
In women’s compound doubles qualification, Sheetal and Payal Nag combined for 1379 points out of a possible 1440 to set a new Asian record.
The pair subsequently reached the final after defeating Thailand’s Phannibha Srathongmaew and Wasana Khuthawisap 151-135 in the semi-finals.
However, their bid for gold ended with a 150-141 defeat to the People’s Republic of China’s Xu Xueqing and Zhao Jing in Wednesday’s final.
The silver medal matched Sheetal’s result in the same event at Hangzhou 2023, when she partnered Sarita Devi.
Born without arms, Sheetal uses her feet and legs to position her compound bow and her shoulder and jaw to draw and release the string.
