HANGZHOU: The rolling Fushu mountain ranges offer a cinematic backdrop to the archery ranges in Hangzhou. The theatricality was further enhanced on Saturday as low-lying clouds acted as a white blanket, covering some of the mountains. While winter is yet to begin in this part of China, it was yet another cold and overcast start. The weather itself was more Manchester summer than mid-autumn Hangzhou -- a perma soft drizzle. The rain, though, didn't spoil Jyothi Surekha Vennam's parade. It had merely come for the final coronation, a last act in a grand three-part series that will live long in the memory.
It began last Sunday when she finished with 704 out of a possible 720 to win the qualification rounds in the individual compound event. After taking down South Korea to win mixed gold in the company of Ojas Deotale, in the company of Aditi Swami, she beat Chinese Taipei in the women's team event. For the final act, she beat South Korea's Chaewon So 149-145 on Saturday morning for her third gold of the Games.
For an athlete who has been thereabouts without winning the major medals, the last week has been a culmination of winning everything everywhere at the same time. Antalya (gold; World Cup 1), Berlin (bronze; Worlds) and Paris (bronze; World Cup 4) offered a sneak peek into the kind of form she was carrying into China for these Games. But it hasn't been easy being Jyothi. She has had to wait a long time to enter the winner's circle.
"The waiting period is always for everyone and it was the same for me," she said after picking up the third gold. "Now that the good time has come, I just want to live in this moment. You always think about those moments (the waiting period) because we should not forget the past. We have to remember everything so that we achieve more heights."
Italy's Sergio Pagni, who has been working on and off with India's compound archers, said this was a very cathartic moment for the Andhra Pradesh girl. "For Jyothi, this is a very cathartic moment because she has lost so many gold medals in the final during her career," he explained. "Finally winning a gold she has deserved so much."
Even if she was precocious as a child -- she entered the Limca Book of records for a swimming achievement when she was four -- success wasn't her friend for a long time. She featured in her first World Cup in 2011 but it wasn't until 2018 when she had a medal around her neck. When you wait that long, it's natural to wonder.
So, what's changed between the Jyothi of a few years ago and now. As cliche as the answer might sound, she says 'it's the power of being more positive'. Like in other precision sports, if you allow yourself to dwell on the past, it's possible you lose sight of the present and the future. "I started to think more positively," Jyothi, a deputy collector with the government of Andhra Pradesh, explained. "Focus more on the positive side and not on the negative side. If you think about negatives, it may begin to affect your performance and mental health. It's not that I used to think negatively before, but sometimes it's not in your hands that the thoughts come in. I learned to just let go."
In 2023, she has approached every tournament thinking she's going to win it. "In every tournament this year, I have gone in thinking this is going to be my year. You have got to stay positive, so that you can deliver your best. I have been thinking like that for every tournament this year (laughs)."
Pagni's role in shaping Jyothi has also been immense. For example, Jyothi has had some problems in the past when facing the likes of Ella Gibson and Sara Lopes (two of the world's best women's compound archers by rankings). At Antalya, she beat Gibson in the semis before besting Lopes in the final.
"A lot of athletes know that they can shoot a 10, it's easy," Pagni said. "But I try to move that thought process of it being easy to shoot a 10 to 'I know for sure I can shoot a 10'. That is not easy.
"I do not need to convince (Jyothi) that Sara Lopes can be beaten. You have to convince the athlete that there is no opponent in front of you. Just you and your target. It is impossible to manage your level to that of another athlete. What is possible is to manage your own level. You can manage yourself, not another athlete.
"Jyothi focused a lot on herself, she was very good about it. Another moment of catharsis was the first World Cup stage. We know we had to break this wall (Sara Lopes). Then, we arrived in Antalya. She beat Ella Gibson in the semis and beat Sara in the final. Two people against whom she had lost matches in the past."
These days, she is the one doing the winning. A lot of winning.