Gwangju (South Korea): India’s Sheetal Devi has showcased her remarkable talent in para-archery by winning the women’s compound individual gold medal at the Para World Archery Championships 2025 in Gwangju, South Korea, on Saturday. She achieved this feat with a thrilling 146-143 victory over Turkey’s world No.1, Oznur Cure Girdi. This victory capped an impressive campaign for the 17-year-old from Jammu and Kashmir, who concluded the championships with three medals: gold in the women’s compound individual, silver in the compound women’s open team event, and bronze in the mixed team competition. In the singles final, Sheetal demonstrated exceptional composure.
After the first end was tied at 29-29, she took charge in the second end, scoring three consecutive 10s to win it 30-27. Although the third end ended in a tie at 29-29 and she narrowly lost the fourth, Sheetal maintained a slight lead of 116-114. In a spectacular finish, she delivered three flawless arrows in the final end to secure the gold at 146-143. This victory was especially significant as it came against Girdi, who had defeated Sheetal 140-138 in the final of the 2023 Pilsen World Championships. Earlier, in the semifinals, she triumphed over Great Britain’s Jodie Grinham with a score of 145-140.
Sheetal also teamed up with Sarita in the compound women’s open team final, where they began strongly, leading 38-37 after the first end. However, the Turkish duo of Girdi and Bursa Fatma Un made a strong comeback, and a costly seven in the final end led to a loss, resulting in silver for the Indian pair at 152-148. Earlier, Sheetal and Toman Kumar clinched a mixed team bronze by defeating Great Britain’s Jodie Grinham and Nathan MacQueen 152-149. Despite not winning team gold, Sheetal’s individual success was a remarkable display of skill and poise.
