KOLKATA: Sheetal Devi’s trailblazing feats despite being born without arms stood out as she lifted Indian archery to new heights in 2025, but the sport was also pulled back by familiar cracks in recurve inconsistencies and administrative concerns ahead of next year’s Asian Games.
Hailing from Jammu’s Kishtwar, the 18-year-old Sheetal was a personification of grit through the year with solid performances.
Already a Paralympic bronze-medallist from Paris 2024, the 18-year-old reached unprecedented heights by becoming the first female armless world champion in para archery.
At the World Para Archery Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, Sheetal struck gold in the women’s compound open event, defeating Paralympic champion Oznur Cure Girdi of Turkey in the final.
She also added a team silver and a mixed team bronze to cap a remarkable campaign.
Born without arms due to a rare congenital condition called phocomelia, Sheetal pushed boundaries further by qualifying for her first able-bodied international competition.
Competing against more than 60 able-bodied archers at the national selection trials in Sonepat, Sheetal finished third in the final women’s compound rankings to earn a spot in India’s junior team for the Asia Cup Stage 3 in Jeddah, which was later delayed due to scheduling issues.
Compound archery’s Olympic moment
In another significant development, compound archery finally received Olympic recognition in 2025 after decades of waiting.
In April, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that the compound mixed team event will be included in the archery programme of the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
It will be the first time since archery’s reintroduction to the Olympics in 1972 that a new bow-style has been added.
The inclusion brings the total number of Olympic archery medal events to six, alongside the existing five recurve competitions.
For India, a nation yet to win an Olympic archery medal but boasting one of the strongest compound line-ups in the world, the decision came as a major boost.
Archers like Abhishek Verma, Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Rishabh Yadav now carry realistic medal hopes heading into LA 2028.
Asian high: Dominance in Dhaka
India enjoyed one of its finest continental outings at the Asian Archery Championships in Dhaka, topping the medal table with 10 medals six gold, three silver and one bronze.
The performance included several historic moments, highlighted by India dethroning traditional powerhouse South Korea in multiple events.
Ankita Bhakat claimed the women’s recurve individual gold, while 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 stunned Korea in a dramatic shoot-off to break their long-standing dominance, signalling a rare shift in the Asian archery power balance.
However, the achievement came against a second-string Korean side featuring Seo Mingi, Kim Yechan and Jang Jiho, with aces such as Kim Woojin missing, meaning India’s true test will arrive at the Asian Games in a year’s time.
Despite the success in Dhaka, India’s recurve archers endured a difficult year globally.
The World Championships ended without a single medal, exposing persistent gaps in consistency and conversion at the highest level.
Even in a year of Asian success, the recurve unit struggled to assert itself on the world stage, raising concerns with the Asian Games less than a year away.
Deepika’s decline
Ankita produced the biggest win of her career in Dhaka, stunning Paris 2024 Olympic silver medallist Nam Suhyeon 7-3 in the women’s recurve final.
In the road to the historic gold, she edged past senior teammate and former world number one Deepika Kumari in a tight semifinal.
The setback underlined a steady decline for Deepika.
The four-time Olympian and former world number one managed just one individual bronze on the World Cup circuit and was denied even a bronze medal at the Asian Championships, losing a shoot-off to 25-year-old Sangeeta, one of India’s emerging talents.
Her decline comes at a time when the next generation is beginning to make its mark.
Teenage recurve archers Gatha Khadake (15) and Sharvari Shende (16) made their World Cup debuts. In compound archery too, Rishabh Yadav and Prithika continued to make their mark across World Championships and Asia Cup events, reinforcing India’s strength beyond the senior core.
Compound archery was once again India’s most reliable discipline. Jyothi made history by becoming the first Indian woman to win a medal at the Archery World Cup Final, clinching bronze in Nanjing.
Notably, none of India’s recurve archers managed to qualify for the season-ending World Cup Final, further highlighting the widening gap between the two disciplines.
APL finally takes off
After years of planning, the Archery Premier League finally made its debut in 2025.
While the league saw modest traction and lacked some sheen due to the absence of South Korea, it still featured several top international names, including world number one Brady Ellison, Mete Gazoz and Alejandra Valencia.
Tokyo Olympics gold-medallist Gazoz-led Rajputana Royals clinched the inaugural title, offering Indian archery a long-awaited professional platform.
Coaching impasse clouds Games build-up
Even as performances delivered hope, governance remained a concern.
With the Asian Games approaching, the Archery Association of India failed to appoint foreign head coaches in both recurve and compound disciplines.
Renowned Korean coach Kisik Lee was set to take charge of the recurve team, but negotiations reportedly stalled over payment issues.
Talks to re-appoint Sergio Pagni, who guided India to a strong campaign at the last Asian Games, also failed to reach a conclusion.
