CHENNAI: Since her debut at the 2017 World Archery Championship in Mexico, Jyothi Surekha Vennam has won eight medals. And apart from Aditi Swami and Ojas Deotale's historic individual gold medals, Jyothi has been involved in all of the other achievements for India in the compound category. There is only one word to describe her performance at the event - dominant.
Even with all the success, the 27-year-old would be the first to divert attention to the bigger picture for Indian archery. "As Compound archery is not part of the Olympics, the World Championship is one of the major events for us. We all are delighted with India's experience at the World Championship in Berlin. This is the first time we have won four medals, including three gold. We will remember this tournament for a long time," Jyothi told this daily from Berlin.
India topped the medal tally for the first time, and it started with gold in the women's team event after a windy semi-final against defending champions Colombia. "The wind conditions were extremely difficult during the semifinal, especially for the last two rounds. In the last round, we wanted to land all of our arrows on the target. I would say luck was also on our side, so I am happy that we made it to the final." Jyothi added.
Luck might have been on her side in the semis, but her journey has been inspirational. Forced to quit her beloved swimming at the age of 11, pre-teen Jyothi was not pleased with the change. "I was swimming for a very long time before my father asked me to shift to archery. I was not too pleased with the decision. If you tell a kid they are not going to do the thing they love, they are not going to be thrilled about it (laughs). But I am happy that my parents made that decision for me. That is the reason why I am here today, winning medals for the country."
"I have no words to describe what my family has done for me. Now they can see me do something that many don't get a chance to do. I am a 90s kid. When I started, there was not a lot of support for athletes compared to now. It's changing now and many parents are supporting their kids to take up sports. For my parents to do that a long time ago, means a lot to me," Jyothi reminisced.
Now after her success at the worlds, Jyothi has her eyes set on the other biggest event on the calendar, the Asian Games, where she has a silver medal in the women's team event. "This result at the World Championship has helped us boost our confidence. We are confident of giving a good performance at the Asian Games too. The team wants to go to the event to bring as many medals as possible for the country," confident Jyothi signed off.