  Grand welcome for Archer Sheetal Devi, Rakesh Kumar in Jammu who won gold medals
Aman Zutshi
Jammu: Sixteen-year-old archer Sheetal Devi from Kishtwar’s Loidhar village of district Jammu and Mr Rakesh Kumar from Reasi’s Katra area, who brought glory by winning gold medals at the recently culminated Asian Para Games held at Hangzhou in China were given a grand welcome upon their arrival in Jammu last night.
The specially abled champion hailed from J&K’s Kishtwar district reached yesterday at Jammu and was felicitated at Divisional commissioner’s office here with another Asian Para games gold medalist Mr Rakesh Kumar who also won a gold  at the event with archer Sheetal Devi.
“I am so glad and will do my best in future also”, Gold Medalist Sheetal Devi told JK Media.
“These two players have brought gold medals by performing at international Asian Para Games. These medals have brought glory for whole country and not J&K alone.
“Mr Rakesh has been participating in the sports events since several years and have been winning medals. But Sheetal’s achievement is very significant.
“It has been only 18-19 months since Sheetal started practicing archery and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has a major contribution in her success.
“Sheetal’s another huge achievement is that she is armless. The people who are physically fit make excuses but if one decides to achieve something with firm determination nothing can stop them and Sheetal is the prime instance of it”, DC Jammu official told JK Media.
“Mr Rakesh is also like Sheetal and he is from Katra. Last year, he can’t won a medal at Olympic games but we can hope that this time they both win medals at Olympic games and will make India proud.
“They are the brand ambassadors of archery for the whole world. The new sports policy brought by the govt has provisions.
“The govt is trying to help sport persons and I don’t think anyone has made progress in just two years the way sportspersons has made”, he added.
“I have won three medals at international level and I’m feeling so good. I practice archery at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi archery academy.
“My coach is Mr Kuldeep Vedvan and when I came first time at the academy I was low spirited and I thought that I cannot do this but my coach motivated me and apprised me that I can do it,
“I have given three medals to my country and I’m feeling elevated”, Ms. Sheetal Devi told media persons.
Responding to the query about her meeting with PM Modi, the Asian Para Games gold medalist said, “He blessed me and motivated me to perform well in the future also. I will do my best in the coming Olympic games so that I can win a medal for my country”.
“I would like to give message to girls to take part in sports because if I can do it they can also. People don’t lack anything they lack only hardwork”, Sheetal asserted.
“The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine board has provided her support and equipments that are necessary for players at grassroot level.
“Sheetal is registered with Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) launched by Indian govt and Rakesh also gets support from them. She also get aids from Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) and Khelo India also has sports brand”, a woman who was with gold medalist Sheetal Devi told media.
“I’m from a small village known as Loidhar in Kishtwar. I started practicing archery a year ago and before that I used to go school and used to play with my friends.
“I went to Bangalore first for treatment then there I met Preeti mam who advised my coach to teach me archery at Shri Vaishno Mata Shrine Board archery academy”, Sheetal apprised.
“I took part for the first time in archery in 2017 and from the beginning we have shrine board’s support and we also have got necessary aid from govt timely. I am feeling so happy that I won medal at Asian games because I was at 10th rank but now I have won three medals. But I won my first medal in 2018 and since then I have participated in ten international sports events and have won ten medals. The people who do hard work achieve what they want”, said Mr Rakesh Kumar, who won gold medals along with Sheetal Devi at Asian Para games in China.
