Sheetal Devi Leads Indian Archery's Breakthroughs In 2025 But Recurve Inconsistencies Persist

Last Updated:December 24, 2025, 12:09 IST

Hailing from Jammu's Kishtwar, Sheetal Devi was a personification of grit through the year with solid performances.

Sheetal Devi. (PTI Photo)

In 2025, Sheetal Devi’s extraordinary achievements, despite being born without arms, significantly elevated Indian archery. However, the sport also faced familiar issues with recurve inconsistencies and administrative challenges ahead of the next year’s Asian Games.

Sheetal, an 18-year-old from Kishtwar in Jammu, epitomised determination with her strong performances throughout the year. Already a Paralympic bronze medallist from Paris 2024, she made history by becoming the first female armless world champion in para archery. At the World Para Archery Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, Sheetal won gold in the women’s compound open event, defeating Turkey’s Paralympic champion Oznur Cure Girdi in the final. Additionally, she secured a team silver and a mixed team bronze, marking a remarkable campaign.

Born with a rare congenital condition called phocomelia, Sheetal further pushed boundaries by qualifying for her first able-bodied international competition. She finished third in the final women’s compound rankings at the national selection trials in Sonepat, earning a spot in India’s junior team for the Asia Cup Stage 3 in Jeddah, which was later postponed due to scheduling issues.

In another significant development, compound archery received Olympic recognition in 2025 after decades of waiting. In April, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced the inclusion of the compound mixed team event in the archery programme for the 2028 Los Angeles Games. This addition marks the first time since archery’s reintroduction to the Olympics in 1972 that a new bow style has been added. This inclusion increases the total number of Olympic archery medal events to six, in addition to the existing five recurve competitions. For India, a country yet to win an Olympic archery medal but with one of the strongest compound line-ups, this decision provides a significant boost. Archers like Abhishek Verma, Jyothi Surekha Vennam, and Rishabh Yadav now have realistic medal prospects heading into LA 2028.

India had a stellar continental outing at the Asian Archery Championships in Dhaka, topping the medal table with ten medals – six gold, three silver, and one bronze. This performance included several historic moments, with India dethroning traditional powerhouse South Korea in multiple events. Ankita Bhakat claimed the women’s recurve individual gold, and Dhiraj Bommadevara secured the men’s recurve title, marking the first time India won both the recurve individual gold medals at the Asian Championships. The men’s recurve team also defeated Korea in a dramatic shoot-off, indicating a rare shift in the Asian archery power balance. However, this achievement came against a second-string Korean side, meaning India’s true test will come at the Asian Games next year.

Despite the success in Dhaka, India’s recurve archers struggled globally, with the World Championships concluding without a single medal. This highlighted persistent gaps in consistency and conversion at the highest level. The recurve unit’s global struggles raised concerns with the Asian Games fast approaching.

Ankita’s victory in Dhaka, where she defeated Paris 2024 Olympic silver medallist Nam Suhyeon in the women’s recurve final, marked the biggest win of her career. On her way to gold, she narrowly beat her senior teammate and former world number one Deepika Kumari in a tight semi-final. This setback underscored a steady decline for Deepika, a four-time Olympian and former world number one. She managed just one individual bronze on the World Cup circuit and failed to secure even a bronze at the Asian Championships, losing a shoot-off to 25-year-old Sangeeta, one of India’s rising talents. Deepika’s decline coincides with the emergence of the next generation of archers. Teenage recurve archers Gatha Khadake (15) and Sharvari Shende (16) made their World Cup debuts, while Rishabh Yadav and Prithika continued to shine in compound archery at the World Championships and Asia Cup events, reinforcing India’s depth beyond the senior core.

Compound archery remained India’s most reliable discipline, with Jyothi making history as the first Indian woman to win a medal at the Archery World Cup Final, securing bronze in Nanjing. Notably, none of India’s recurve archers qualified for the season-ending World Cup Final, further highlighting the widening gap between the two disciplines.

After years of planning, the Archery Premier League finally debuted in 2025. Despite modest traction and the absence of South Korean archers, the league featured several top international names, including world number one Brady Ellison, Mete Gazoz, and Alejandra Valencia. The Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Gazoz-led Rajputana Royals clinched the inaugural title, providing Indian archery with a long-awaited professional platform.

However, governance issues persisted as the Asian Games approached. The Archery Association of India failed to appoint foreign head coaches for both recurve and compound disciplines. Negotiations to hire renowned Korean coach Kisik Lee for the recurve team reportedly stalled over payment issues. Talks to re-appoint Sergio Pagni, who had guided India to a strong campaign at the last Asian Games, also failed to reach a conclusion.

With PTI Inputs

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