AHMEDABAD — World No. 1 Sheetal Devi displayed nerve-shredding composure under intense pressure to secure the women’s individual compound gold medal in a dramatic shoot-off at the World Archery Para Series Stage III on Wednesday.
The 19-year-old reigning world champion was pushed to the limit by Kazakhstan’s Aizada Seidan in a high-stakes final held at the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad. With the scores locked at 144–144 at the end of five regulation ends, the championship came down to a single-arrow tiebreaker.
Sheetal held her nerve when it mattered most, delivering a flawless 10 with her final arrow. Seidan, who was hunting her career-first international title, could only manage a 9, handing the Indian star her maiden individual World Archery Para Series gold medal on home soil.
High-Stakes Final Battle
The gold medal match began with both archers matching each other shot for shot. Sheetal and Seidan opened with perfect scores of 30 in the first end and remained deadlocked at 59–59 after the second. Seidan temporarily edged ahead in the third end with a 28 to Sheetal’s 27, before the fourth end saw both competitors shoot 29–29, giving the Kazakh archer a slender one-point cushion heading into the final end.
Under relentless pressure, Sheetal mounted an impressive comeback in the fifth end, shooting 29 to Seidan’s 28 to tie the contest at 144–144 and force the decisive shoot-off.
"I was just thinking that the match is down to one shot," Sheetal reflected after her victory. "I have to shoot one arrow and not do anything new. I just have to follow my process."
Strong Indian Showing
The victory capped an exceptional tournament for Sheetal, who earlier in the competition set a compound mixed team qualification world record of 1,400 points alongside Paris 2024 Paralympic medalist Rakesh Kumar. She also added a compound mixed team bronze medal to her tally while partnering with Toman Kumar.
India concluded the maiden World Archery Para Series stage held on home soil with a strong overall haul of 15 medals, including four gold, three silver, and eight bronze. Paralympic champion Harvinder Singh also starred on the final day, pairing with Bhawna to claim gold in the recurve mixed team event with a dominant 6–0 win over China.
The gold medal serves as a massive boost for Sheetal as she prepares to defend her individual and mixed team titles at the upcoming Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games.
