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By Sheetal Devi was nominated for the ‘Popular Choice — Sportstar of the Year (Female)‘ award for the upcoming Sportstar ACES Awards 2024.
ACES Awards 2024 | Voting lines now open for Sportstar ACES Awards
Born with Phocomelia, a disorder causing under-developed limbs, Sheetal is the world’s first armless woman archer (Open Compound).
Ranked World No. 1 as of November 29, 2023, she captured everyone’s attention with her steely-eyed attitude in para-archery.
This year, she became the world-record holder in the women’s doubles event at the Para Worlds, while at the World Archery Para Championships, she clinched a silver medal, making her the first female armless archer to do so.
She won three medals at the Asian Para Games, including two gold and one silver. Notably, she became the first woman to secure two gold medals at the tournament, further solidifying her position as a trailblazer in the sport.
IN 2023
- World No. 1 (As of November 29, 2023)
- World Record holder in women’s doubles event at para worlds
- World’s first armless woman archer
- World Archery Para Championships 2023 silver
- First female armless archer to win medal at the para world championships
- First woman to win two gold medals at Asian Para Games 2023; won 3 medals in total in Hangzhou
- First Indian to win Best Youth Athlete of the Year Award at Asian Awards 2023
About ACES Awards 2024
There are 21 categories of awards this year – five Popular Choice and 16 Jury awards.
The five Popular Choice awards are ‘Sportstar of the Year (Male)‘, ‘Sportstar of the Year (Female)‘, ‘National Team of the Year’, ‘Club/State Team of the Year’, and ‘Moment of the Year’.
The Jury Awards are Sportsman of the Year (Individual Sports, Track and Field, Team Sports, Parasports), Sportswoman of the Year (Individual Sports, Team Sports, Track and Field, Parasports), Coach of the Year, Best State for Promotion of Sports, Best Corporate for Promotion of Sports, Best PSU for Promotion of Sports, Best College/University for Promotion of Sports, Lifetime Achievement Award, Young Achiever of the Year (Boy), Young Achiever of the Year (Girl).
There will also be a separate Chairperson’s Award for Sports for Social Good, which will honour individuals or organisations that have used the power of sports to make our world a better place.
