New Delhi: For Payal Nag, a quadruple amputee, life changed completely when a picture of her drawing, which she drew with her mouth, went viral on social media; that caught the attention of coach Kuldeep Vedwan. What followed was not just the discovery of archery but the discovery of self-belief, discipline and purpose.
Payal delivered a sensational performance at the World Archery Para Series in Bangkok on Saturday, defeating reigning world champion Sheetal Devi, the world’s first female limbless archer.
At just seven years old, she lost all four of her limbs after coming in contact with an 11,000-volt power line passing over a roof in 2015. The daughter of migrant labourers from Balangir district in India’s eastern state of Odisha, she grew up facing doubts and ridicule about how she would live her life.
After the Covid-19 pandemic, her family moved to Chhattisgarh, a state in central India. With sustained support from the state administration, Nag was sent to Parbhatigiri Balniketan, a government childcare institute where her needs could be properly met. There she developed a desire to achieve something significant despite her challenges. Gradually, she discovered a passion for sketching portraits using her feet, going on to win several district-level art competitions.
She used to draw pictures with her mouth, and one day someone posted one of these pictures on ‘X’, which went viral. Coach Kuldeep Vedwan saw this and then contacted Payal for the first time. He requested the orphanage management for her transfer. Then, Vedwan visited the orphanage and brought Payal to Jammu.
Payal trained alongside Paralympic medallist Sheetal Devi at the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Sports Complex in 2023 and 2024. National Para-Archery Championship in 2025 was her first competition. She secured the top spot in the presence of many of India’s para-archery legends, including Sheetal as well as Paralympian Jyoti Baliyan.
Additionally, Payal also defeated Sheetal in the Olympic round to become the national champion.
In December 2025, Payal stepped onto the shooting line at the Dubai 2025 Asian Youth Para Games to shoot her first arrows at an international competition, scripting history as India’s and the world’s first quadruple amputee archer to compete internationally.
Earlier this year at the Indian Para Archery Championships, Nag finished second in qualification behind world champion and Paralympic medallist Sheetal, before going on to claim bronze in the individual event.
(IANS)
