Sheetal Devi and Toman Kumar won India’s first archery gold at the ongoing Asian Para Games, defeating Indonesia in the compound mixed team final on Thursday. Swati Chaudhary added a historic silver in the women’s individual W1 event, giving India its first medal in the category.
The reigning world champions in their respective individual categories, Sheetal and Toman defeated Indonesia’s Teodora Audi Ayudia Ferelly and Ken Swagumilang 151-148. The Indian pair had entered the competition as top seeds after setting a world record in qualification.
India took a 38-37 lead in the opening end and extended it to 77-73 at the halfway stage. Indonesia gained a point in the third end, but the Indian pair held on to their three-point advantage to seal the title.
The victory was not without a scare. In the semifinal against Chinese Taipei, Toman’s final arrow scored zero, allowing the opposition to threaten India’s lead. Sheetal and Toman eventually prevailed 142-141.
Born without arms, Sheetal uses her feet and legs to position her bow and her shoulder and jaw to draw and release the string. The gold was her second consecutive Asian Para Games mixed team title, following her victory with Rakesh Kumar at Hangzhou in 2023.
Toman, a serving Central Reserve Police Force constable and former CoBRA commando, lost his left leg in an improvised explosive device blast during an anti-Maoist operation in Jharkhand in February 2022. He later took up para archery and became a world champion in 2025.
Swati’s silver marked a milestone for Indian para archery, expanding the country’s medal tally in the sport beyond the compound categories.