After the Paris Olympics, Para Olympians are showcasing excellence in the Paris Paralympics 2024. Keeping physical disabilities aside, Indian athletes are spreading excitement. In the archery department, Indian fans are setting the stage on fire. After showcasing excellence, Sheetal Devi made a heartbreaking exit by a narrow margin. After that emotional exit, her coach Kuldeep Vedwan opened up.
Heartbreaking Exit of Sheetal Devi:
At the Paris Paralympics 2024, Sheetal Devi faced a tough loss in the women’s compound open category 1/8 elimination round. She was narrowly defeated by Tokyo silver medallist Mariana Zuniga from Chile. Despite starting strong and winning the opening set 29-28, Sheetal’s performance declined when she hit a 7-point red ring in the second end. This allowed Mariana to tie the score at 55-all.
The match remained close as both archers competed intensely over the next eight arrows. In the final moments, Mariana shot a 9 with her last arrow, while Sheetal scored an 8. This resulted in a narrow one-point loss for Sheetal, ending her run in the last 16 of the compound women’s open category.
Kuldeep Vedwan’s Words:
Sheetal Devi grabbed headlines after winning gold in the Asian Para Games 2022. This achievement pushed her into the spotlight. In this ongoing tournament, the para-athlete performed exceptionally well and the entire nation was backing her for another medal win. But after the heartbreaking exit, her medal dream in the individual competition ended there.
After that, Sheetal Devi’s coach Kuldeep Vedwan opened up. He said, “Sir dekho emotional hone ki to baat hi hai. Kyuki, is platform par jab baccha lose karta hai mai to spectators area pe baitha tha. Mujhe puri ummed thi kyuki jis tyaari se mai aaya tha, or jis tyaari me archer ko leke aaya tha, to mujhe puri ummed ye thi ki mai gold medal k saath jaunga.” (“Sir, it’s only natural to be emotional. When a player loses on this platform, I was sitting in the spectators’ area. I had high hopes because of the preparation I had done and the way I had prepared the archer. I genuinely expected to go home with a gold medal.”)
Later he added, “Lekin aaj ka din hamara nahi tha. Or mera khiladi bilkul young hai. Poore Indian contingent ka sabse youngest athlete hai. Mujhe dukh bohot hai haarne ka. Lekin khushi hai ki mera archer bohot accha kiya hai or Olympics platform pe aake khela hai or Bharat ka naam roshon kiya hai. Kyuki usne second rank hasil kiya hai.” (“But today was not our day. My player is very young—he is the youngest athlete in the entire Indian contingent. I am deeply saddened by the loss. However, I am happy that my archer performed excellently, competed on the Olympic stage, and brought honor to India by securing second place.”)
While talking about the presser, the coach said, “Sir dekho choti bacchi hai, 17 saal ki hai. Or sab log, aaj poora Hindustan Sheetal k liye baat kar raha hai. Sabki ye hi hope thi ki Sheetal definitely individual champion banegi. Or jo bhi log bolte the, matlab usse milte the usse poora ummid rakhte the. Mai pressure nhi bolunga, ki pressure usne liya. Kyuki wo bilkul relaxed thi. Lekin aaj ka din uska nahi tha. Kyuki sir mai ek coach hu or mai ye feeling janta hu ek khiladi ki.” (“Sir, look, she is a young girl, just 17 years old. Everyone in India is talking about Sheetal today. Everyone hoped she would definitely become the individual champion. Those who met her had complete faith in her. I wouldn’t say it was pressure; she took it in stride. She was completely relaxed. But today wasn’t her day. As a coach, I understand this feeling of a player.”)
Later he added, “Kyuki jab do khiladi khelte hai, ek haarta hai or jit ta hai. Jab hum harte hai to sikhte hai. Jab hum jit te hai tab bhi hum sikhte hai.” (“When two players compete, one wins and one loses. When we lose, we learn. And when we win, we also learn.”)
Coach on what went wrong:
Throughout the tournament, she performed well and in the last match, she was eliminated. While focusing on the her mistake, Vedwan said, “Sir mai usko ye hi batana chahta tha ki bete aapne aap pe focus karo. Aapni shooting ko remind karo jo aap karte the, karte aa rahe ho, kaise aapne world record break kiya, kaise aapne Asian games me tin tin medals liya.” (“Sir, what I wanted to tell her was to focus on herself. To remind herself of the shooting she has been doing, how she broke the world record, and how she won three medals at the Asian Games.”)
Then he added, “Wo hi matlab ek usko aapne ishare k madhyam se samjgana chahata tha ki you should focus. Concentrate karo aapne shooting k upar. Aap koi bhi matlab ye mat sochiye ki aap international evnt pe ho ya Olympics event me ho. Matlab mera jo ek coach ka ek tarika hota hai batate ka to mera ye hi koushis tha ki wo aapna relaxed ho jaye or aapni shooting process ko focus karke chalaye.” (“He wanted to convey to her through subtle hints that she should focus. Concentrate on your shooting. Don’t worry about whether you are at an international event or the Olympics. As a coach, my approach is to help her relax and focus on her shooting process.”)
Sheetal still has a chance to win medals for the nation. A mixed event is coming up. While talking about this, the coach said, “ Sir kal ke liye maine Abhilasha ko milunga. Kyuki Abhilasha team k saath me coach hai. Or dono archer Rakesh ko or Sheetal ko mai dono ko milke bilkul hamari kal ki strategy hogi ki kaise haame match jitna hai.” (“Sir, I will meet with Abhilasha tomorrow. Abhilasha is the coach with the team. I will discuss with both archers, Rakesh and Sheetal, to finalize our strategy for tomorrow on how we will win the match.”)
Later he added, “Aagar ye hi condition aati hai to kaise handle karna hai. Pressure aata hai to kaise handle karna hai. To sara strategy hume uske upar baat karenge or aone Archer’s ko kal k liye motivate karunga. Mujhe puri ummed hai ki kal mere archers bohit accha karega.” (“We will discuss how to handle such situations if they arise, including how to manage pressure. We will talk about the entire strategy and I will motivate my archers for tomorrow. I am confident that my archers will perform very well.”)
Hope Over the Athletes:
While showcasing confidence the athletes, Vedwan said, “Yes, sir. Mai isiliye aaye hu. Mera aane ka jo reasin hai wo ye hi hai ki mera bacche ek medal leke jaaye. Or meri agar koi kami feel wo kar rahe hai honge to mai usko dur kar saku. Mai chahta hu ki mere bacche medal jite.” (“Yes, sir. I am here for this very reason: to ensure that my players bring home a medal. If there are any shortcomings they feel, I want to address them. I want my players to win medals.”)
Later added, “Kyuki mujhe yaad hai wo din jab Bharat ko pahela Paralympics medal mila. Mai only coach tha Paralympics me kyuki ek hi ciach gaya tha. Woha pe Harvinder Singh ne iska maan barhaya tha. To Tokyo Paralympics 2020 me or waha par mai hi coach tha or yaha par mai aaya hu.” (“Because I remember the day when India won its first Paralympics medal. I was the only coach at the Paralympics because I was the only one who went. There, Harvinder Singh had brought honor. So, at the Tokyo Paralympics 2020, I was the coach, and now I am here.”)
Later adding to this, he said, “Mere tin athlete hai jo mere khud ki student hai, Sharita, Sheetal and Rakesh. Poori ummid hai teeno se ki teeno k gale me medal jayega. Or Harvinder hamesha itihas racha hai. Kyuki usne Asian Games 2018 or Paralympics 2020 Tokyo me medal liya. To Puja hai, Harvinder hai mixed team me bhi or individual me bhi. Dono se bohot ummed hai ki accha karenge.” (“I have three athletes who are my own students: Sharita, Sheetal, and Rakesh. I fully expect all three to win medals. Harvinder has always made history, having won medals at the 2018 Asian Games and the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. We have high hopes for Puja and Harvinder in both the mixed team and individual events. I am confident they will perform well.”)
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