Finance
Sheetal Devi & World rated No. 1 Rakesh Kumar clinched India’s Paralympic Games archery medal after defeating Italy 156-155 in the Mixed Team Compound Open bronze medal match on Monday. India’s 13th medal in the Paralympics.
After both archers missed out on individual gold for their country, the veteran-youngster combination won India’s second Paralympic medal. Harvinder Singh earned the bronze medal in the men’s open recurve individual category at the Tokyo Games.
The Italians opened with a faultless first round, scoring 40 points against India’s 38. However, Team India replied wonderfully by hitting a perfect 40 in their second attempt opposed to Italy’s 38, drawing the game at 78-78 at halfway mark.
The Italian duo took the lead after the third round with a score of 39-40. However, Sheetal and Rakesh hit perfect tens on three of their final four shots, with the team’s second effort pending review. Italy’s 38 left the teams knotted at 155-155. However, after the review, India’s second shot was determined to be a 10, resulting in a 156-155 victory.
The couple had fallen to the pair from the Islamic Republic of Iran in a shootout. After four rounds, the teams were tied at 152-152 in the Mixed Team Compound Open semifinals.
Sheetal Devi, a wonderful young archer from Kishtwar, Jammu and Kashmir, has captivated the globe with her astounding talent and unrelenting dedication. She was born without arms and her early life was marked by challenges but she has overcome all odds to create history alongside Rakesh Kumar whose journey has been full of difficulties.
Rakesh met with an accident in 2010 that crippled both of his legs, and he has been using a wheelchair ever since. After the accident, he struggled to survive and even considered suicide, but today he is one of the country’s best athletes and a Paralympic medalist.
Source:IANS
