NEW DELHI: After subdued one-and-a-half years, V Jyothi Surekha can finally afford to smile. The pandemic meant no practice, no competitions and finally, when the chance came at the Paris World Cup, things did not pan out the way the 25-year-old had envisioned. But after a productive selection trial and subsequent national camp, the compound archer managed to regain that magical touch which culminated in three silver medals at the recently-concluded World Championships in Yankton, USA.
Considering the way the post-pandemic period went by, the Vijayawada-born athlete just went there hoping to improve her scores and try and reach the level of consistency she was showing pre-2020. But it turned out to be much better as she managed to medal in all three of her events — individual, mixed team and women's team. And she admits that the selection trial and the camp were the key reasons behind the rich medal haul.
"During the first phase, we had to return home as all non-Olympic national camps had to be closed. Almost till November, I did not get proper practice. The World Cup Stage I would have been our first international competition but the entire Covid-19 false-positive case meant we never managed to board the plane.
"I tried to practice hard before the Paris stage but for some reason or the other, I could not. But once the selection trials for the Worlds was called, I did well and created a national record which gave me confidence. Then that sharpness that was missing from my game returned during the national camp at Sonepat. But I did not go there thinking of medals but just wanted to give my 100 per cent. I'm really happy that I medalled in all three of my events," Jyothi told this daily.
In all three events, India were beaten by Colombia. In the individual event, which followed compound women's team and mixed events, the Arjuna awardee lost the gold to Colombia's Sara Lopez by mere two points (146-144)- in the final. The women's team of Jyothi, Muskan Kirar and Priya Gurjar lost to the trio of Lopez, Alejandra Usquiano and Nora Valdez while in the mixed team event, the Abhishek Verma-Jyothi combine lost out to Lopez and Daniel Munoz.
"I'm really pleased but somewhere deep inside I'm also a bit disappointed. Winning one Worlds medal is tough enough, and I'm proud that I won three in the same competition. But also the chance for a gold medal was there and I just could not capitalise. In both team events, I was not at my best due to the weather conditions. But in the individual section, I was shooting really well and it was a matter of fine margins in the end," she said.
This was her sixth medal at the Worlds, adding to the two bronze medals in team and individual categories she won in the last edition in 2019 in 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands. Her first medal at this stage was silver in the women's team at the 2017 Mexico City edition.
"I know that a gold medal has eluded me but I think I have a lot of time to correct that and I'm a firm believer that when the time is right, the medal will also arrive. So I will keep trying my hardest and not worry too much about what I have missed out on as that can have a negative impact."
There are a few things she wants to tick off her bucket list considering the important competitions lined up in the coming days. First up is the senior nationals, which is just a few days away, followed by the Asian Championships selection trial. Jyothi's last individual gold came at the Asian Championships back in 2015 and she wants an encore. The Asian Games is coming up and also she wants to break the jinx of not having won individual gold in World Cups.
Such is her dedication towards her craft, the compound archer returned from her successful US trip late on Tuesday but went straight to SAI, Sonepat to continue her practice. "The big one on my mind is obviously an Asian Games medal. But I know my record in World Cups and having not won an individual gold (five bronze and a silver in team events), I want to correct that going forward," she signed off.