(February 27) Aiming high is what Vennam Jyothi Surekha excels at. So much so that the winning streak follows her everywhere. As a three-year-old, she learnt swimming. By five, she had a unique record – swimming five km across the river Krishna in Andhra Pradesh in three hours, 20 minutes and six seconds. With that feat, her name entered the Limca Book of Records (2002). But that was just the beginning of more glory. She took up archery at age 11, and today, she has competed in 25 national and 42 international tournaments (so far) with a whopping 98 medals, making her one of the top Indian compound archers ever.
“I believe competition should be with oneself,” smiles Surekha, the archer who has taken the world of archery by storm, winning one championship after the other. The Arjuna awardee who was the youngest from South India to receive the award has immense belief. It helps her better her own record year after year, and perform with unwavering focus.
Vennam Jyothi Surekha
The latest feather in her cap was the gold she clinched at the Lancaster Archery Classic in Pennsylvania, USA. “It was my first time at the Lancaster archery classic and I was happy to be on the podium. Everything was new to me. I had so many memorable experiences,” says the serial winner, speaking exclusively with Global Indian.
The girl who ‘shot’ to fame
Born in Ramanagaram, Challapalli village in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh in July 1996, Surekha is the only child of V Surendra Kumar, and V Sri Durga, who have been huge motivational figures in her life. The first time she was introduced to swimming was in 1999, a suggestion by her parents. Swimming across Krishna river is a faint memory, though Surekha recalls her parents taking her to the river to practice before the final attempt.
She took to archery too on her parents’ suggestion. Given the lack of sports infrastructure in Vijayawada, the idea was to try another sport. “They put me into archery as they wanted me to represent the country at the international level one day,” beams the 25-year-old. She first trained under local archer J Rama Rao (2008-2012), then made her way to the Indian Compound Archery chief coach Jiwanjot Singh Teja, and has been training with him since 2013.
Focused precision
Schooled at Nalanda Vidya Niketan in Vijayawada, she did computer engineering (B.Tech) and MBA from KL University, Vaddeswaram, passing both with distinction. Now, totally committed to archery, Surekha’s numbers tell an exemplary tale of courage and success. With over 50 state medals (2008-2012), 60 national medals in the under-13 to senior national which includes 38 gold medals, 13 silver and nine bronze, she has made medal-winning a habit.
Silverware follows this focused archer internationally too – she won 10 gold, 17 silver and 11 bronze medals, totalling 38. A shining star in Indian sports, Surekha has participated in five World Championship, World Cup (19), World University Games (2), World University Championship (1), Asian Games and others — totalling 42 international tournaments. Most comfortable competing individually, she also participates in mixed categories too.
A ‘bull’s eye’ for the country
“Listening to the national anthem after winning golds at international championships has been the proudest moment of my life. It inspires me to take India further up in world archery rankings,” says the ace archer who comes from a simple farming family. Her parents and their struggles have inspired this archer, who was at one time among the world’s top 10. The fact that her father was a kabaddi player, who instilled a love for sports in her, has a lot to do with her chosen path too.
Her job at Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited under the Group-A sportspersons category, helps her follow that passion, and she is ever grateful. A tough regime is involved – six hours practice, two hours of physical training daily.
Her first bow, a Hoyt Rintek bow will always be most special. Shooting or archery is a focused sport, thus yoga and meditation help her find the calm amidst the storm, while gym sessions help improve her shoulder strength and cardio. Often, she can be seen hard at work at the Sports Authority of India, Sonepat, among the best centres for archery in India.
Thankful to Khelo India, which supports budding archers with equipment and training, the archery champ loves the facilities at the Sai centres. Receiving the Arjuna Award has been the biggest honour yet. “Receiving such a prestigious award gives one recognition for one’s achievements. It also motivates me to bring more laurels to the country,” she adds.
Her medals tally grows
Looking forward to the world cups, world games and Asian Games, Surekha is confident that she will continue her medal spree. An inspiration for many, Surekha guides amateurs passionate about sports. “There will be hurdles, choices to make between sports, academics or anything else. Give your 100 percent in achieving something, and take the right decisions at the right time with the right people,” she concludes.
Her career graph:
- Only player to have won 3 Silver medals in a single Sr World Championship.
- Only archer to win 6 medals in the Sr World Championships.
- She won the 1st ever individual medal for India in women’s category in the World Championship in 2019.
- She is the only player with world top 10 rankings in compound archery in individual, mixed team and women’s team – a rare achievement.
- In 2018, the Indian archery women’s team secured its first ever world no 1 rank. Jyothi Surekha’s performance contributed majorly to this.
- She is the first ever Indian compound woman to achieve 4th rank in the world rankings.
- Her 6 – medal tally in World Cups, 2018 is the best by an Indian compound archer.
- She has a national record of 710/720 to her name.
- Awarded with Krida Ratna Award by Akkineni Foundation, USA in 2014
- Follow Vennam on Twitter
