For Jyothi Surekha Vennam, her fourth consecutive Asian Games appearance will bring a mix of familiarity and a fresh challenge. The 30-year-old compound archer has won a medal at each of her three previous Asian Games, but this time she will compete as part of a new-look Indian women’s team that is still developing its understanding and chemistry.
With the Asian Games being the biggest priority this year, Jyothi’s preparation has focused on getting every aspect right — from her equipment to her own physical and mental readiness. “We are working really hard, preparing ourselves, making sure that everything is good as part of our equipment or be it ourselves and working towards it,” she said. While archery might not look as physically demanding as several other sports, its challenges become evident once an athlete steps onto the range. The sport requires a combination of precise technique, complete control and considerable mental strength, with every shot demanding concentration and consistency.
“Not only archery, like any sport, like when we see or when we watch, when someone is playing, it seems really easy, and it seems like, this is so easy, we also can just do it. But it’s not the case; like every sport has its own things, like some techniques and all. That’s what I believe. And once you start training or once you start, you know, using the equipment and all, then you get to know like how hard it is,” she explained.
As she prepares for another Asian Games, Jyothi is also determined not to let her previous achievements become a distraction. Having medalled at all three of her earlier appearances, she knows the importance of approaching each competition on its own terms. “Right now I’m just focused on giving my best at the games rather than thinking about any other things.”
The women’s team presents an additional challenge this time, with the group still developing as a unit. The athletes have already had two opportunities to compete together at World Cup stages, giving them valuable experience ahead of the Asian Games and helping them understand each other better.
“Coming to the team, it’s a new team for us because this is the first time that we got to play as a team, especially for the women’s team, I would like to say. And we have participated in World Cup stages three and four because for us, the games selection trials were completed in May, and we got two tournaments to participate in before the Asian Games. We are improving, we are working hard, and we are getting used to each other. And it’s just that no matter what the situation is, we are there for each other,” she added. Although Jyothi is among the more experienced members of the squad, she does not see the responsibility of guiding the team as resting solely on her shoulders. She believes every member brings valuable international experience. “I think all the team members are really experienced, I would say, in some sort of things because there’s no one who is representing India in the games for the very first time. Like it’s their first international tournament. They have been part of many international tournaments in previous years and this year too.” Jyothi’s development has also been supported by her association with the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS), where she has trained within a high-performance environment alongside fellow Indian archers such as Rishabh Yadav and Abhishek Verma.
Training around athletes competing at the highest level has provided opportunities to exchange experiences, learn from one another and gain different perspectives. With three Asian Games medals already in her collection, maintaining motivation means continually resetting her targets depending on the importance of the tournament. For Jyothi, this year’s priority has been particularly clear.
“I think the main thing would be just reframing your goals every now and then, depending upon what tournaments you’re playing and what is the tournament that you give the most importance to. This year we only had the Asian Games, which is having the utmost priority. The World Cups happen every year for us. This year it’s Asian Games,” she said.
As Jyothi Surekha Vennam prepares for her fourth Asian Games, the focus is not on the medals she has already won but on the opportunity ahead. Her challenge will be to bring the same consistency and focus that have defined her career while continuing to build chemistry with a new Indian women’s team. With the Asian Games firmly established as her biggest target of the year, Jyothi now has the opportunity to turn months of preparation into performance when competition begins.