Archer Payal Nag, 17, aims Paralympic glory

A tweet for help changed the fortunes of teenager Payal Nag.As a child, the girl from Balangir, Odisha, lost both her arms and legs when she was accidentally electrocuted. Her family, living hand-to-mouth, dropped her off at an orphanage, where they hoped she would get all the required support.
It was from there, the confines of an orphanage, that Payal’s cry for help via social media reached a coach more than 2,000km away. Kuldeep Vedwan, the coach of Paralympic bronze medall Sheetal Devi, read the tweet and travelled to Balangir. The veteran trainer hoped that bringing her to his academy in Katra, sports could become Payal’s way out of a life full of struggle.
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The leap of faith paid off. On Sunday, Vedwan’s protege will face arguably his most famous ward, Sheetal, in the final of the Khelo India Para Games. “I saw a tweet asking for help for Payal, and that is when I knew I could help her become a para-archer,” Kuldeep said.
After spotting Payal in late 2022, Vedwan had to get permission from Balangir’s Drict Collector to take her to Katra, where she would train at his academy. Payal’s ser, Varsha, would accompany her to the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Archery Academy.
“I had no idea what archery was when I was in Balangir. Kuldeep sir talked to me on video call for the first time and then he showed me videos of Sheetal didi. When I saw those, I thought I could also do something like this. Kuldeep sir gave me further motivation and said that you can also play at Paralympics,” Payal recalled his first encounter with his coach.
Before finding refuge in archery — and even painting — the 17-year-old had to endure several hardships. “My parents used to cry as people around us would say a lot of things. It was tough for them to watch her daughter like that,” Payal said.Story continues below this ad

In her orphanage, Payal would paint and make sketches using her mouth to hold the paintbrush. “She is an extremely talented kid. She can sketch all of you using her paintbrush,” laughed Vedwan, as Payal had a smile on her face.
“Now, my parents are very happy that I am doing para-archery. They keep motivating me saying that we know you can do something great,” said Payal.
A new mechanism for Payal
Before he met Payal, Vedwan developed a mechanism that allowed Sheetal, the armless archer, to shoot. Sheetal picks the bow using her legs and then uses her mouth to fix the latch attached to her shoulder before aiming and shooting.
In Payal’s case, the coaching team at her academy, led Vedwan, used prosthetic legs. Payal picks the bow using her prosthetic leg, which is attached to the bow. She then uses her mouth to fix the latch attached to her shoulder to aim and shoot.Story continues below this ad
Payal, who was ‘nervous’ when she was asked to shoot the first time, is now comfortable with the process. 
“I have changed my device recently as Kuldeep sir built a new one for me. I was not sure if I would perform well here or not but the device has worked. When I started on the device, I don’t know when I got comfortable but all of it happened very quickly for me,” Payal said.
The current device used Payal is a little heavy and coach Vedwan wants to change it. “This is a basic device. I am making one more device combining four materials, carbon, fibre, aluminium and zinc. It will be lightweight and very comfortable for her,” Vedwan added.
If the weight bothers her, Payal hasn’t shown. In only her third tournament, the Para-Archery National Championships in Jaipur earlier this year, Payal defeated Sheetal to win the gold — her first national title.Story continues below this ad
On Sunday, under the clear Delhi sky, the two archers will go head to head again. Whatever the outcome, coach Vedwan knows this is only the beginning for Payal.
“The world has only seen armless archers but now it is time for everyone to witness an archer without any limbs. We want to go ahead and compete at the International tournaments as I think Payal is ready for that level of competition,” he said.