India’s Sheetal Devi has been named ‘Para Archer of the Year 2025’ by World Archery. The 19-year-old from Jammu and Kashmir became the first and only female armless archer to win gold at the World Para Archery Championships by claiming the top honours in the women’s compound individual event at Gwangju in South Korea last year.
She also secured a complete set of medals at the World Championships, winning the women’s team silver and mixed team bronze. Beyond her World Championship gold, Sheetal also boasts of a Paris Paralympics bronze in the mixed team event, along with individual silvers from the 2022 Asian Para Games and the 2023 Asian Championships in Bangkok.
The 2025 World Archery Awards, launched in 2011, honour excellence and outstanding contributions to the sport, celebrating the athletes who have defined the international archery season. This year, the awards were presented across eight categories, including ‘Archer of the Year’, which went to Emircan Haney of Turkey. ‘Young Archer of the Year’ was awarded to Baptiste Addis of France, and ‘Best Team of the Year’ was claimed by Korea’s recurve men’s team.
