For someone who has a remarkable haul of 33 medals in 39 international appearances, archer Vennam Jyothi Surekha is still chasing one dream - to win an individual gold at the World Cup.
The 23-year-old Vijayawada-based star performer completed the year on a high in when she won gold in the mixed pair event, alongside Abhishek Verma, in compound bow category at the Asian championship in Bangkok on Wednesday.
“It is always difficult to sustain the level of excellence in any discipline and more so in archery where even the slightest lapse in concentration, you are out of reckoning from the contest,” Surekha told Sportstar .
The gifted archer, who is a graduate in Engineering and MBA and currently working in the BPCL as an Executive Officer, said bagging the gold medal in the mixed pair event was immensely satisfying after her the disappointing finish in the individual event.
RELATED| Asian Archery: Abhishek-Jyothi duo wins compound mixed pair gold
“Yes, there is lot of scope for improvement, like countering the windy conditions in a much better way. The biggest challenge to sustain level of excellence is to stay mentally focussed and physically stronger,” she said.
“Unfortunately, my event does not figure in the Olympics and I have no interest in taking up any Olympic event now as it means starting from scratch and there is no guarantee of clicking too,” she continued.
“I have no complaints. (I am) glad (that) the Sports Authority of India takes complete care of our training and exposure trips. This is one of the reasons why I could win three gold, three silver and two bronze in my five Asian championship appearances,” she said with a big smile.
Talking about her plans for the next few months, she said: “The World Cup schedule begins next April and after the break I will be back in the Centre of Excellence in Sonepat (Haryana) in the Indian camp and by God’s grace will continue to do well.”
Comments
SHARE