Anand Mahindra To Keep His 1-year-old Promise To Paralympic Archer Sheetal Devi

Sheetal Devi, one of India’s most inspirational sportspersons, has made waves with her exemplary skills and performance at the Paris 2024 Paralympics. Although she could not win a medal in the individual event, she is a winner in the eyes of many for being so accurate despite all the challenges.

One of the many who have been deeply impressed by Sheetal is businessman Anand Mahindra. After learning about Sheetal’s inspirational performance at the Paris Games, Mahindra said he was looking forward to fulfilling a promise he had made to her.

A video of Shetal went viral on social media in which she can be seen hitting a bullseye. The video grabbed attention across the world and went viral.

Reacting to the viral video, Mr Mahindra wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “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”.

India’s armless wonder Sheetal was eliminated in the round of 16 in the women’s open compound category at the Paralympics on Saturday. Sheetal, who draws the arrow with her toes, suffered a setback in the second end when she shot the red ring with 7 points, losing to the Silver medalist from Tokyo, Mariana Zuniga from Chile, with 137:138.

On Saturday, Sheetal was eliminated from the Paralympics in the women’s compound open category in the round of 16.

Although she was widely admired for her exceptional skill and composure, her precision has impressed people worldwide.

Born with phocomelia – a congenital disorder that affects the development of the limbs – Sheetal is the youngest Indian para-athlete to compete in the Paralympics. She is the first and only female international para-athlete without upper limbs. She is also the only active archer in the world to compete without arms.