Adjusting to conditions is key, says ace archer Jyothi Surekha

Ace Indian archer Vennam Jyothi Surekha says the archer who adjusts to the conditions quickly has the upper hand because what separates a winner and a loser is a wafer-thin margin, especially in premier contests.

Twenty-one-year-old Vennam Jyothi Surekha is now eagerly looking forward to the 2018 Asian Games, which will be held at Jakarta (Indonesia) in August.

Indian compound archer Vennam Jyothi Surekha, who ended her 2017 international assignment in a triumphant note clinching three medals at the recently-concluded Asian Archery Championship at Dhaka (Bangladesh), says that the archer who gets adjusted conditions swiftly will have the upper hand because what separates a winner and loser is a wafer-thin margin, especially in premier contests.

Surekha romped home with gold in team event, silver in mixed and bronze in the individual event in the tournament, which saw Indians giving some tough fight to the numero uno team – Korea.

“We are equal to Koreans in all respects including equipment and technique. Both of us use most advanced bows and also implement similar technique.”

READ: Surekha — beating the best

She says reaching the venue, especially in foreign countries, a day before official practice gave the archers a chance to get used to the weather conditions and the ambiance.

"Each country showcases different kinds of weather. We need to assess (the conditions) quickly and adjust our releases accordingly."

The 21-year-old management student of Koneru Lakshmaiah University is eagerly looking forward to the 2018 Asian Games, which will be held at Jakarta (Indonesia) in August.

“We do not know how many events figure in the compound segment. But I am mentally preparing for all three events team, mixed and individual. Soon both the Archery Association of India and Sports Authority of India will decide about the camps,” she said.

The early part of 2017 was not very significant for the archer as she could not win a medal in the Asia Cup (Bangkok), World Cup Stage One (Shanghai), Two (Antalya), Four (Berlin) and in the World Universities at Chinese Taipei.

But she had a memorable World Archery Championship at Mexico when she won a silver medal in the mixed event partnering Abhishek Varma.“In the individual ranking round, I lost in the pre-quarterfinal very narrowly. I was tied with a Korean 146-146 and in the single arrow shoot out we both hit the 10 points but her arrow was close to the X enabling her to advance.” Incidentally, she has been representing the country for seven years.

Surekha also received the coveted Arjuna Award for her contribution to the archery.  The Andhra Pradesh State government announced a reward of Rs one crore, a 500-square yard house site in Vijayawada and a government job for achieving the prestigious Arjuna award. “As soon as I am offered the job, I will take it up,” says the archer, enthusiastically.