17-year-old para-archer Payal Nag has gained quite the attention of Indian fans after her remarkable feat of two gold medals won at the 2025 National Para Archery Championship. She outshone India’s Paralympic star Sheetal Devi in the event. Payal is the world’s first and only quadruple amputee to compete without feet and hands.
Having made her nationals debut in this event, Payal bagged her two golds, one in the individual and the other in the Olympic round, in which she defeated Tokyo Paralympic bronze medallist Sheetal.
She has been training under coach Kuldeep Vedwan at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Archery Academy in Jammu using a customized prosthetic device. It was three years back when Vedwan spotted Payal and fostered her growth and helped a talent like her.
Vedwan, who was filled with pride with Payal’s victory in the nationals, said, “When I first saw Payal sketching portraits with her mouth, I recognised a rare gift; her discipline turns impossible into medals, proving resilience trumps limbs every time.”
For Payal, the victory at the para-archery nationals event is just a stepping stone for her career as she aims for the 2026 Para Asian Games, Thailand Para Archery World Ranking Tournament, and to win a gold medal in the 2028 LA Olympics.
Sharing her everyday mantra of practicing archery, Payal says, “I shoot with courage, not limbs; my arms are my dreams, my feet my resolve.”
Earlier, at the Khelo India Para Games in March 2025 held in Delhi, Payal won a silver medal and, since then, has gained the attention of the Archery Association of India.
Who is Payal Nag?
Hailing from Odisha, Payal’s childhood wasn’t much like everyone else’s. At the age of five, she and her family suffered a horrible accident due to an electric shock. The incident took the lives of her parents and took away all four of her limbs, leaving her with fear and alone as a girl who will never be able to walk.
After the accident, Payal then relocated to Jammu, where she met her coach, Vedwan and started her journey in Archery. Starting from scratch, she devoted herself to training and spent all her time mastering the technique by relying on various methods, including torso strength, breath control, and mental stability through yoga and meditation.
Payal’s journey from struggles to a podium finish reflects her underlying strength and the chance to establish herself as a prominent figure of a para athlete, joining Sheetal.
(Inputs sourced from The Logical Indian)
