From a swimming prodigy to a champion archer: Jyothi Surekha defies the odds

Archer Jyothi Surekha Vennam is soft-spoken, almost understated in how she presents herself. But behind that quiet demeanour lies a steely competitor who thrives under pressure and delivers when it matters most. That temperament was on display when Jyothi, along with her teammates Madhura Dhamangaonkar and Pragati, clinched gold in the compound event at the Archery World Cup Stage 1 in Puebla, Mexico, last week. In conversation with us, the Arjuna Award recipient looks back on her journey from humble beginnings in Challapalli to the national spotlight, her transition from swimmer to archer, and the challenges she overcame along the way.

‘Though we come from an agricultural background, my parents have always backed me in pursuing sports’

If there is one constant in her journey, it is the support she received at home. “My father comes from an agricultural background and my mother is a homemaker. Both my parents wanted someone in the family to achieve something in sports, since no one before had taken it up seriously. Their support and belief in me is what keeps me going, even during my lows,” Jyothi says.

‘We stayed in the moment and got the job done’

“We got along really well, given it was our first time playing together as a team,” says Jyothi talking about her equation with her team mates Madhura Dhamangaonkar and Pragati. That understanding was tested in the high-pressure final against the USA, where the top-seeded Indian team edged past Paige Pearce, Olivia Dean and Alexis Ruiz 233-232. India found themselves trailing 117-114 at the end of the second set, before clawing their way back to 174-173 in the third, setting up a tense finish. “Even when we were trailing, we didn’t panic. Our focus was simply on shooting our best and staying in the moment. For most of it, we shot really well and got the job done,” she adds.

‘Since there weren’t good facilities for swimming, I switched to archery’

A B.Tech and MBA graduate, Jyothi didn’t start her sporting journey on the archery range. Her first love was the water; at just four years old, she etched her name in the Limca Book of Records by swimming across the Krishna River. However, a lack of proper aquatic facilities in Vijayawada eventually forced a change of course. Her father, Vennam Surendra Kumar, a former college-level kabaddi player, made a decisive call — one that would eventually shape her career. “There weren’t good facilities in Vijayawada back then, and moving to another city wasn’t really an option,” she recalls. Archery, then, wasn’t a natural progression — it was a pivot. “As an 11-year-old in 2007, I started training at the Indira Gandhi Stadium, and played my first Under-13 Nationals the following year. I ended up winning six gold medals—it was my first tournament after taking up the sport,” she says.

Career highlights

• Triple gold, Asian Games 2022 (held in 2023) - Individual, Team, Mixed
• Multiple World Cup & World Championship medals
• Arjuna Awardee

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