There\u2019s no shortage of stories about Sheetal Devi\u2019s ingenuity, but Aalaap Jawadekar likes to begin with one from the Paris Paralympics. One afternoon inside the Athletes\u2019 Village, the physiotherapist found himself locked out of the sports science office \u2013 keys in hand, door refusing to budge.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s when Sheetal Devi walked in. Without hesitation, she took the keys, missed once, then again, and finally, with disarming calm, turned the lock open \u2013 using her toes. Jawadekar still marvels at the moment. \u201cThe more you think she can\u2019t do something,\u201d he says, \u201cthe more she\u2019ll prove you wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Born without arms, there\u2019s little Sheetal can\u2019t do. She eats and writes with her toes, once climbed trees with ease, and now shoots arrows with them.<\/p>\n
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Defying physics, the 18-year-old is stepping into uncharted territory for an Indian athlete. Last week, she finished third among 60 archers in the compound women\u2019s trials for next month\u2019s Asia Cup in Jeddah. In doing so, Sheetal became the first Indian para archer to earn a spot on the able-bodied national team, a feat forged through natural core strength, frugal innovation and cutting-edge sports science.<\/p>\n
The release aid<\/p>\n
Until four years ago, when archery coach Kuldeep Vedwan first took her under his wings, there wasn\u2019t even a mechanism in India that would enable her to shoot, let alone hit the bullseye. \u201cShe asked me, \u2018Even if I lift the bow with my legs, how will I let the arrow fly?\u2019\u201d Vedwan said.<\/p>\n
The moment he saw her, he had a plan. The veteran coach had seen how the OG armless archer, USA\u2019s Matt Stutzman, released the arrows with the help of a release aid.<\/p>\n
Able-bodied compound archers wear a strap that goes around their wrists and has a trigger, similar to a rifle. The moment the trigger is pulled with their fingers, the arrow is released.<\/p>\n
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![\"Sheetal](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Sheetal-Devi.jpg\")
Sheetal Devi in action. Credit: World Archery<\/p>\n
Stutzman improvised this technique. He first wrapped a strap around his chest. The strap had a release aid positioned over his right shoulder, and he used it to hook onto the bow string. He then used his jaw to push the release aid\u2019s trigger, letting the arrow fly. \u201cHe designed this all by himself. I studied the equipment and made a similar one for Sheetal,\u201d Vedwan says. \u201cThere was no other way for her to shoot an arrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, Sheetal developed a wound on her chin because of the relentless pressure. \u201cThe chin is not used to that kind of load since it has a softer muscle structure,\u201d explains Sheetal\u2019s physiotherapist, Ayushi Tomer. \u201cSo, whenever she shot, she would get hurt. Because of the pressure, the recoil used to hit the chin, and it really pained a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Improving toe grip<\/p>\n
The release is the finale of Sheetal\u2019s poetic action.<\/p>\n
It begins with the teenager using her legs to load an arrow and lifting the 53-pound bow with her toe and the second digit, before letting it fly in one seamless motion. Many muscles are in play simultaneously \u2013 the right leg first goes up to lift the arrow, then the bow; the hip movement as she draws the arrow; the slight movement of the shoulder to get the release aid closer to the chin; and then applying slight pressure to release the aid\u2019s trigger.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIf everything moves as a log, then you can\u2019t really differentiate between those tiny movements,\u201d says Jawadekar. \u201cSo, there is a lot of isolation required between your trunk, hips and feet. That\u2019s where the accuracy element also comes in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anukool Bharadwaj, head of the Paralympic programme at OGQ, who look after Sheetal\u2019s day-to-day training, says \u2018a lot of what she does comes from her natural strength.\u2019 \u201cBut she has also built up her power through strength training. She\u2019s far stronger now than she was four years ago,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n
One unlikely exercise involves clay \u2013 a tool borrowed from shooting to refine control. \u201cIn shooting, it helps manage trigger pressure,\u201d explains Tomer, who has trained her for two years. \u201cI knew it would help her steady the bow.\u201d<\/p>\n
The first day Sheetal was given clay to work with, she made a snake out of it. \u201cShe is constantly making one thing or another with it,\u201d laughs Tomer. \u201cEven now, I make sure she carries it whenever she travels\u2026 it is simply holding the clay and putting consistent pressure on it, even if we are moving the leg. Because if there is a slight change in the pressure, it could have an impact on the actual shot.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Lifting dumbbells with feet<\/p>\n
The trainers improvised on many fronts to make her strong, but Jawadekar says he is still left jaw-dropped watching Sheetal pull off some of the exercises. Like the time when she sits on a bench, lifts a 5kg dumbbell, and stretches her toes.<\/p>\n
\u201cImagine her sitting on a stool and holding a bow; in that exact position, she holds a 5kg dumbbell with her feet; she actually grips it between the toe and the second digit,\u201d Jawadekar says. \u201cFirst of all, it is tough to straighten the knee and then, your body shakes\u2026 but she does it with ease. It\u2019s insane how she manages to hold it for like a good 2-3 minutes. It\u2019s impossible!\u201d<\/p>\n
By now, he knows better than to underestimate the girl who can unlock any door \u2013 with her feet or her sheer will.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There\u2019s no shortage of stories about Sheetal Devi\u2019s ingenuity, but Aalaap Jawadekar likes to begin with one from…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":371141,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[178861,1198,210,178856,178859,178857,178860,178858,1458,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-371140","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-archery-news","9":"tag-fitness","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-sheetal-devi","12":"tag-sheetal-devi-archer-story","13":"tag-sheetal-devi-archery","14":"tag-sheetal-devi-archery-grip","15":"tag-sheetal-devi-indian-archery-team","16":"tag-sports-news","17":"tag-united-states","18":"tag-unitedstates","19":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115530145206449759","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/371140","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=371140"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/371140\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/371141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=371140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=371140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=371140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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