Jyoshna, who made her mark by winning the Mini National compound title in 2012-13, is giving her seniors a run for their money at the national level. By J. R. Shridharan.
She is only 12 years old but is seen as a bright prospect in Indian archery. This compound archer drew the attention of many at the second National Ranking Tournament in New Delhi recently as the youngest competitor in the fray. K. Jyoshna, who is from the Volga Archery Academy in Vijayawada that produced international compound archers such as the Commonwealth Games silver medallists, Chittibomma Jignas and Ritul Chatterjee, and Vennam Jyothi Surekha (ranked No. 22 in the world), scored an impressive 345/360 in the sub-junior ranking event.
“This girl is a coach’s delight, for she follows all the instructions religiously. She has a memory of an elephant and she even corrects us if we (coaches) deviate. She is dedicated to archery and believes only in 10s and 9s,” says Laguri Chandrasekhar, a compound coach from Jharkhand, who is employed in the Volga Academy.
The Mini National champion finished fifth in the sub-junior event but not before giving some of the senior and experienced archers the jitters. “Jyoshna narrowly lost to Sakshi Vedhan of Uttar Pradesh, the runner-up in the sub-junior event, 138-140. She also made her senior counterpart and the sub-junior champion Purvasha Shinde sweat before bowing out 136-142,” says the Volga Academy chairman, Cherukuri Satyanarayana.
Jyoshna shoots with Hyot Selena, a tiny women’s bow with lesser weight, for she is too young. “Maybe in the next two years, she will graduate to the big bow. Meanwhile we are helping Jyoshna improve her breathing capacity with yoga and strengthening her arms and shoulders,” says Satyanarayana, father of Ch. Lenin, the Indian coach who was killed in a road accident immediately after the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Jyoshna’s life is a classic example of living against all odds with a smile. At an age when most children enjoy the comforts of their homes under the care of their parents, this little girl has faced several unexpected upheavals with poise. After her mother passed away when she was a toddler and her father committed suicide a couple of years ago, life seemed to be going nowhere for Jyoshna until Lenin adopted her.
“Lenin wanted to adopt a girl child. He came to know of the plight of Jyoshna from a family friend and immediately initiated the adoption formalities. It is unfortunate that he is not alive to see the progress of his daughter,” moans Satyanarayana.
Jyoshna made her mark at the national level by winning the Mini National compound title in 2012-13. This year, representing Andhra Pradesh in the Junior and Sub-junior Nationals, she won silver medals in team events in both tournaments.
“Out of 360, she scores around 320 to 329, which is a creditable performance in the international arena. She knows the importance of hitting the bull’s eye and gets upset when she scores an eight or a seven,” says J. Rama Rao, an Indian Railways archer and a senior coach at Volga.
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