In Gwangju, South Korea, on September 27 (NationPress), India's Sheetal Devi showcased her remarkable talent in para-archery by winning the women's compound individual gold at the 2025 Para World Archery Championships. She triumphed with an exhilarating score of 146-143 against Turkiye's world No.1 Oznur Cure Girdi.

This victory highlighted a phenomenal performance from the 17-year-old athlete hailing from Jammu and Kashmir, who concluded the event with a total of three medals: gold in women's compound individual, silver in the women's compound open team event, and bronze in the mixed team competition.

During the singles final, Sheetal exhibited remarkable composure. After the first end ended in a tie at 29-29, she took charge in the second end, delivering a stunning sequence of three 10s to win it 30-27.

Although the third end was evenly contested at 29-29 and she narrowly lost the fourth, Sheetal maintained a slight lead of 116-114. She saved her best performance for the final end, shooting three flawless arrows to secure the gold medal with a score of 146-143.

This victory was particularly gratifying as it avenged her previous loss to Girdi, who had narrowly defeated her 140-138 in the final of the 2023 Pilsen World Championships. Earlier in the semifinals, Sheetal had decisively overcome Great Britain's Jodie Grinham with a score of 145-140.

In the compound women's open team final, Sheetal teamed up with Sarita, starting strong by winning the first end 38-37. However, as Girdi and Bursa Fatma Un from Turkiye rallied back, the Indian duo struggled under pressure. A costly seven in the final end led to their defeat, with the Turkish pair finishing with 39 out of 40 points, leaving India with a silver medal.

Additionally, Sheetal and Toman Kumar secured a bronze in the mixed team event, defeating Great Britain's Jodie Grinham and Nathan MacQueen by 152-149.

Despite missing out on team gold, Sheetal's individual gold medal stands as a testament to her extraordinary skill and perseverance.