After the heroism of Sheetal divided at the Paris Paralympic Games last year, India seems to have discovered another para-archery star in preparation for the Para de Khelo India games in which Payal Nag fought its way to the final of the individual female compound event.
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Sheetal Devi had become a familiar name during the Paris Paralympic Games last year, in which she competed as the only armless archer and had not reached a world record in the individual female compound event before winning mixed team bronze with Rakesh Kumar.
In the current para-games of Khelo India in New Delhi, the nation seems to have discovered another star para-archeur in the manufacture of Payal Nag, who found himself fighting for gold against Sheetal during the final of the opening event of the female compound archery. Payal would later win Silver after 137-129 of Sheetal in the gold medal match.
Who is Payal Nag, the star of para-archery in the making?
Sheetal had overcome the loss of his weapons due to the congenital disease phocomelia by pulling with his feet, after being inspired by the American paradhat Matt Stutzman. Payal, on the other hand, had to conquer an additional obstacle – the absence of legs.
Payal, originally from the Balangir district of Odisha and comes from a family of modest means, had lost its arms and members at the age of five after being in contact with an electric line of 11,000 volts in 2015. Four years after the incident, it was placed in the custody of Parvatigiri Balniketan, an orphanage to bargain with the assistance of the district collector, according to the news agency Ani.
🌟 Payal Nag – A name that redefines force 🌟
17 years of Odisha, one and unique archer in the world who argues without members. With an unshakable determination, Payal Nag with its bow, proving that real strength comes from the inside. 🎯💙
The Lime Para Archery is really a … pic.twitter.com/vkt37igqvs
– KHELO India (@KheloiDia) March 22, 2025
The tragic incident, however, has not dissuaded his mind. Before running at the para-archery, Payal showed his artistic skills by drawing images with his mouth. And it was his sketches and paintings that attracted the attention of Kuldeep Vedwan, who heads the Shri Mata Vahnodevi Board Board Archery Academy in Katra, Jammu and Cachemire and also happens to be Sheetal’s coach.
“I used to draw with my mouth before. I could draw the face of anyone by looking at them. One of my photos became viral on social networks. My guru (Kuldeep coach) also saw this, then came to me in my orphanage and led me to Jammu,” Payal told the KHELO India Parahi games.
Vedwan would later get a special prosthetic device so that it can shoot arrows, marking the start of Payal’s trip as ancheur. Three years after her arrival in Jammu by train, Payal finds himself going from the other with a sheet of “Didi”, which she had defeated in the para-archery nationals in January.
After turning heads to Khelo India, Payal will see his goal on the winning medals of his country in Asian and global events.
“My dream is to win a gold medal for the country. If I can come from an orphanage to Balangir, Odisha and defeat the Didi leaf, then my goal can be nothing less than gaining gold for the country,” she said.
