Sheetal-Toman pair strikes gold; Swati creates history with India’s first W1 medal

• Sheetal Devi and Toman Kumar win gold in the compound mixed team event, defeating Indonesia 151-148 to secure India’s first archery gold at the Asian Para Games

• Sheetal claims her second consecutive mixed team gold at the Games, while Toman’s journey from a 2022 combat injury to world champion adds to the achievement

• Swati Chaudhary makes history by winning India’s first-ever W1 medal, taking silver after losing 4-6 to China’s Cen Mengkan in the women’s individual final

India’s Sheetal Devi and Toman Kumar clinched gold in the compound mixed team event, while Swati Chaudhary created history by winning the country’s first-ever medal in the W1 category with a silver in the women’s individual event at the Asian Para Games archery competition on Thursday.

The mixed team victory marked India’s first gold medal in archery at the ongoing Games, following a silver in the women’s compound doubles event, where Sheetal partnered Payal Nag, who has quadruple limb amputation.

Sheetal and Toman defeated Indonesia’s Teodora Audi Ayudia Ferelly and Ken Swagumilang 151-148 in the final to secure the top spot on the podium. The Indian duo, both reigning world champions in their respective individual categories, delivered a composed performance to convert their top-seed status into gold.

The victory also marked Sheetal’s second consecutive gold medal in the mixed team event at the Asian Para Games. She had won the title alongside Rakesh Kumar during her debut at the 2023 edition in Hangzhou, China.

Sheetal and Toman entered the final as top seeds after breaking the world record in qualification by two points. They maintained their momentum against Indonesia, taking a narrow 38-37 lead in the opening end before extending their advantage to 77-73 in the second.

The Indian pair dropped just one point in the second end, putting pressure on their opponents. Indonesia fought back in the third end to reduce the deficit by one point, but India retained a three-point cushion heading into the final stage.

Both teams scored 38 points in the final end. However, the Indian duo’s earlier advantage proved decisive, allowing them to seal the gold medal with a 151-148 victory.

The final followed a tense semifinal encounter against Chinese Taipei, where India narrowly prevailed 142-141.

Toman’s final arrow in the semifinal missed the scoring zone and registered zero, giving the Chinese Taipei pair of Lee Yun-Hsien and Yang Jyun-Kai an opportunity to take control. Despite the setback, Sheetal’s exceptional accuracy helped India hold on to its advantage and advance to the final.

Born without arms, Sheetal uses her feet and legs to position the compound bow and relies on her shoulder and jaw to draw and release the bowstring. Her precision was particularly important in the semifinal, where she dropped only three points across eight arrows, keeping India in contention despite Toman’s costly miss.

Toman’s gold medal adds another chapter to a remarkable sporting journey shaped by resilience and determination.

The 31-year-old is a serving Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) constable and former CoBRA commando from Nawagaon village in Chhattisgarh’s Balod district. He lost his left leg in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast during a joint anti-Maoist search operation in Jharkhand’s Lohardaga district in February 2022.

Critically injured in the explosion caused by a device planted by Maoist insurgents, Toman underwent amputation before beginning a new chapter in his life through para archery.

He steadily rose through the ranks, becoming a world champion in 2025 and reaching the top of the world rankings in the men’s compound category.

His partnership with Sheetal, who is also the world No. 1 in her individual category, proved decisive as India secured its first archery gold of the Games.

Earlier on Thursday, Swati Chaudhary became India’s first-ever medallist in the W1 category at the Asian Para Games, claiming silver in the women’s individual event after losing 4-6 to China’s Cen Mengkan in the final.

The top-seeded Indian was unable to convert a 4-2 lead into victory as Cen mounted a comeback in a closely contested match.

Swati started strongly, winning the opening set 25-17 after her Chinese opponent misfired with an arrow. Cen responded in the second set, edging it 22-21 to level the contest at 2-2.

The Indian archer regained the lead by winning the third set 22-21, moving within reach of the gold medal. However, Cen produced a decisive performance in the fourth set, scoring 30 points with three perfect 10s to win 30-20 and bring the match level at 4-4.

With the title at stake, Cen held her nerve in the deciding set, scoring 28 points against Swati’s 21 to complete the comeback and secure her maiden Asian Para Games gold.

Swati, who won bronze at the World Archery Para Series in Ahmedabad last month, had entered the final as the top seed. Although she fell short of gold, her silver medal marked a significant milestone for Indian para archery.

The W1 classification is designed for archers with significant impairments affecting both their upper and lower limbs.

India’s results on Thursday highlighted the country’s growing presence in para archery, with Sheetal and Toman delivering a gold-medal performance in the compound mixed team event and Swati breaking new ground with her historic W1 silver.

With PTI inputs