Paris Paralympics: From Anand Mahindra to Piers Morgan, all gush about Sheetal Devi

The sight of Sheetal Devi at the podium with a wheelchair-bound Rakesh Kumar, her partner in India's bronze medal finish in mixed compound archery at the ongoing Paris Paralympics, is as poignant as it comes.

Despite the countless stories of the triumph of the human spirit that have kept coming out of Paris over the past week, this 17-year-old from Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir has been the standout, the toast of the Games — and not just in India.

Every time she walked into the archery range, a motley crowd rose as one to applaud her — from celebrities to politicians to industrialists, they are all going gaga about her.

Anand Mahindra, the owner of Mahindra’s assembly line of vehicles, reiterated his promise to gift her a custom-made vehicle (so that Sheetal can drive it with her legs) after her individual round — but she will be eligible to drive only next year, once she turns 18.   

Here’s his whole tweet:

'Extraordinary courage, commitment & a never-give-up spirit are not linked to medals…

'#SheetalDevi, you are a beacon of inspiration for the country and the entire world.

'Almost a year ago, as a salute to your indomitable spirit, I requested you to accept any car from our range and we would customise it to enable your navigation.

'You rightly said you would take up the offer when you turned 18, which you will do next year.

'I look forward to fulfilling that promise to you…

'And, of course, no one else could be my #MondayMotivation.'

Here’s what Erik Solheim, former minister of climate and environment of Norway said: ‘’This is beyond possible! Sheetal Devi is poetry in motion. Just 17 years old. Born without arms. A true hero. Congrats India (sic).’’

Reacting to a video of her in action, even normally irascible British broadcaster Piers Morgan said: ‘’These paralympians are truly incredible. Wow.’’ 

Every facet of Sheetal’s journey so far — from being born with a rare disorder called phocomelia which causes underdeveloped limbs to how her coaches took inspiration from armless archer Matt Stutzman, who used his legs to shoot — has been well documented.

The way Sheetal shoots the arrow is by using her right leg and shoulder. She puts the bow down on the ground, uses her right foot to load the arrow and then holds the bow with her leg, drawing it nearly to her chest. She has a strap around her upper body that she manipulates to release the assistive device above her right shoulder.

Just listening to the entire thing seems like an ordeal — and it also gives an idea of how much effort is required from her tiny frame in the hours of practice behind the scenes.

The Jammu and Kashmir duo of Rakesh and Sheetal carved out a thin 156–155 win over Eleonora Sarti and Matteo Bonnacina of Italy for the podium late on Monday, 2 September.

They had looked likely to go all the way at one point, with a world record score in the qualifying round. Certainly, it was a supreme collaborative effort — and the journey of 39-year-old Rakesh, son of a carpenter, is no less fascinating.

Fighting suicidal thoughts

Rakesh met with an accident in 2010, which left both his legs paralysed. He has been confined to a wheelchair ever since. It led to him contemplating suicide, but he has fought his demons to arrive among the top athletes of the nation.

His was a completely raw talent, scouted and nurtured by coach Kuldeep Kumar.

In 2017, when an archery centre was established at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Sports Complex, the coach invited him for a visit at an event to raise awareness about the sport. Rakesh instantly developed an interest in archery and signed up the very next day. 

Before making the mark on the international stage, Rakesh’s achievements at the national level led his coach to hope that he could be the next big star in Indian archery — and now, Kuldeep Kumar has been more than vindicated in his faith.