'I knew I would make it': Surekha on historic bronze

Written by Chandra Prabhu for The New Indian Express

In what has been turning into an incredible year, Jyothi Surekha Vennam added another feather to her cap a couple of days ago in Nanjing, China. After three gold medals in three events at the World Cup Stage 1 in Shanghai earlier this year, in addition to achieving her career-best world rankings (2nd) in women's compound archery, Surekha finally earned a World Cup final medal, a bronze in the women's compound event.

At the WC finals in both Hermosillo (2023) and Tlaxcala (2024), she had missed out on the quarterfinal stage — the first stage of the competition. Given her previous misses, winning the title was always going to be a tough task. "She had come into this tournament under pressure to perform. With conditions not helping them, it looked a tough challenge for Surekha," said Surendra Kumar Vennam, father of Surekha.

The weather made her matches difficult, but this time she managed to get past the first hurdle, defeating Alexis Ruiz of USA 143-140 in the quarterfinals.

Then came the tough semifinal tie against Andre Becerra, the World No 1 from Mexico. Surekha was far from her best, losing to Becerra in the process.  "The weather (at Nanjing) was not so good to shoot. It was windy, cold and drizzling, too. I was not able to feel my muscles. (As a result), I did not put my best in the semifinal," she had told this daily after her bronze medal on October 19.

"I was disappointed to lose but I knew that (bronze medal match) would be my last chance at the podium. So I knew I had to give my best there," she said.

That's what she did. Up against Ella Gibson, World No 2 from Great Britain, Surekha raised her game and finally returned with a medal.

"I couldn't give my best in the previous two World Cup finals. This time, I was like, 'no matter what the result, I will just put in my best in Nanjing, because I knew that somewhere in the back of my mind, I would make it'," Surekha explained. Hitting perfect 10s in all of her 15 attempts to score a perfect 150, the World No 3 was totally in the zone.

After drawing blank in the previous two editions, this is a welcome boost for the youngster. However, Surekha felt there's still plenty of room for improvements in her game. "Somewhere, there is room to make changes to become better than what you are today, I believe. Yes, there are some things that I would like to improve.

"I want to analyse a few things based upon my performances in the previous tournaments and note them down. Then, I would work on them to improve it," she explained.

While sharing his joy, Surendra recalled the work that she put behind this year. "Surekha worked on her balance and her release. Ensuring to get the suitable equipment and new arrows were crucial. She would shoot 200 arrows in the morning and 200 in the evening."  

Although Surekha might feel that this is "just another medal," this performance is a big shot in the arm as she prepares for 2026. She is set to defend her individual title in the 2026 Asian Games in Japan. Moreover, with the inclusion of compound archery (mixed event) in the 2028 LA Olympics, this medal is a statement from Surekha that she will keep battling for more titles.