Straight Arrow

Sport is often talked about as art. Historian CLR James, for example, has beautifully articulated why cricket is an extension of art and how it is always about the art of batting or bowling. With Sheetal Devi in archery, it is artistry of a very different kind. When you see Sheetal, the first question you ask yourself is: How is it possible for a girl so frail and young to rule the world stage and keep hitting bullseye after bullseye with amazing regularity? To use the right leg, right shoulder, and jaw in the manner Sheetal does is just awe-inspiring. She has a very strong core and that is how she is able to generate strength. And then just when she re­leases the arrow, there is a kind of stillness about her. She puts the arrow into the bow and with a slight push of the body gets the bow up into release position. That is when the jaw comes into play. She uses it to take aim and then pushes the body back as she lifts her head and the bow at the same time. As she is ready for the release, she is literally still. And then comes the release. More often than not, the bow hits the middle of the target and it is an inner 10. Pure genius is all we can say.

Where Sheetal Devi scores is not just in her skill but also in her temperament. Soon after she had won the bronze medal, we had a freewheeling chat, and some of her answers will forever stay with me.

I had asked her if she had lost the shoot-off against Iran because they had a 10 close to the centre, and how she dealt with the disappointment in 15 minutes and came back to shoot for the bronze. Was she not angry or frustrated? No, she said, not angry. Rather, she was more determined. Sport is all about these disap­pointments and heartbreaks. If you get frustrated, you will lose focus, says this 17-year-old who seems to have maturity beyond her years. Even her emotions are controlled.

She recounted that Matt Stutzman from the US, who won gold and is the world’s first armless archer, had once told her that in sport there will always be wins and losses but that all she needed was to thank God for having been kind enough to let her play sport. That was far more important than a win or a loss. “That is why I always try and smile, and try and live in the moment. Rest all can happen around me,” says Sheetal Devi.

But pressure is such a key thing for athletes. What did she mean when she said that she did not let herself feel the pressure? That she stayed in the moment and went with the flow? Those could be the words of a lifestyle coach or a mentor, but was it even possible for a young girl to be so poised? More so when the whole country is suddenly convinced that you will win a Paralympic medal, if not gold. Even the international Paralympic community and the international media have had their eyes on her.

According to Sheetal, she tries but she is not hard on herself. If after she shoots an 8 or 9, she tends to think about why it hap­pened or why she underperformed, she will put herself under pressure. Her mindspace will become negative. For Sheetal, that does not work. She will not be able to get that shot back and reshoot. “When you know it is not possible, why think of what is already done and not in your hands? Rather, I always start think­ing about the next shot and tell myself that I need to hit a 10 in the next shot. It is about looking at things differently and that is how I can handle pressure better.”

Listening to her, it seems to me that Sheetal Devi should be a study for all teenagers her age, those who are appearing for board or different competitive examinations. To not punish yourself for one exam or one performance that has not gone so well, to take courage from ‘that’ moment and know that it is behind you and you need to move ahead, is a deep philoso­phy. That thinking is perhaps organic in Sheetal Devi, a young girl who has had to move beyond regrets, seize her arrow, and prove her mettle to the world.

I asked her about her breaking the world and Paralympic records in the ranking round. Thereafter, things did not go her way in the individual event and she lost a close match by a point. Then, finally, she was on the podium with the mixed team bronze with Rakesh Kumar. Surely, this medal was important to her, though she has been remarkably mature about not letting regret get to her.

“This medal means the world to me,” replies Sheetal. “I would not be able to tell you in words how significant this is for me.” For her, this medal is vindication. It tells her that she finally belongs in the Paralympic space. It means that her years of hard work are finally paying off and that her coaches will now feel vindicated for having worked so hard on her and with her. It tells her that she is deserving of the love and affection that she has received in the country. For Sheetal, this medal will bring smiles to the faces of many back home and some will know that they can do a lot with their lives if they want to. She says, “If I can, everyone can. This medal is proof of that.”

But there is a caveat here. Not everyone can. I think back to an interview with Neeraj Chopra the day after his silver, here in Paris. Asked about the Paralympics, Neeraj—another athlete who I believe has a deep-thinking mind—was categorical that para-athletes could be everybody’s inspiration. “We, who are fit and with able bodies, lack inspiration. Yet, look at our para-athletes—they have physical challenges and yet they play,” he had stated. Listening to Sheetal, those words had come back to me. It is the kind of motivation and grit only a few have. If you can, it is because you are one of a kind Sheetal Devi, you are nothing less than a rare gem.

I ask her about her mother who is also in Paris, and who, like any mother, is hugely proud of her. I ask her about the support she receives from her family. Sheetal says that her mother has always supported her. In fact, it is the support from her family that made it possible for her to play sport and they are like a pro­tective shield around her. “Yeh mere liye ek kavach jaisa hai,” smiles the girl. It had been her dream and wish to see her mother happy and proud and she knows that her Paralympic medal has given her mother that joy.

I tell her that the world media wants to speak to her and docu­ment her story. How does all this seem and does it change things for her even a little bit? Sheetal acknowledges that it feels good to see people wanting to speak to her and show her respect. As she has said before—and like so many of our para-athletes tell me—they do not need our sympathy. They are here for the com­petition, not for their disability. Says Sheetal, “When I am playing and hitting the 10s, I am playing as an athlete. I do not need any­one’s kindness or sympathy. That is what I have said to everyone who interviewed me here.” She knows that there is interest in her story, but she says that she is also aware that telling it cannot change anything for her. She is not here to tell people her story. She knows her priority and has not moved one bit from that—she is here to play archery for India and she knows that if her focus changes, her sport will suffer. Never can she let that happen to her.

I ask what lesson she is taking back from Paris 2024. She has made the podium but there is also the failure in the individual event that she must learn from. She can change the colour of the medal in Los Angeles in 2028. She admits that there is a lot of learning that she is indeed taking home. But she also notes a few things—first, that she is a Paralympian. Second, she has managed to win a medal at the age of 17 for India. Third, she now knows that she can shoot with the world’s best and hold her own. But also, she has done better and won better—and that is her realisation and learning here in Paris. She says she will need to work harder to be more consistent. If she is more precise with her shooting, she can keep getting better. LA 2028 is her next goal. And her biggest learning, she says as we part, is that there is nothing beyond work­ing hard. “If I continue to work hard and in sync with my coaches, I can win many more medals for India and leave a mark on the sport. That is exactly what I will try and do in the next few years.”

Surely, an athlete like Sheetal Devi comes once in many years.

archeryParalympics 2024Paris 2024Sheetal Devisports