Asian Games 2026: Jyothi Surekha Vennam and the art of consistency

The first time Jyothi Surekha Vennam turned up at the Asian Games, as a wide-eyed teen in Incheon 2014, the Indian women's compound team lost to Chinese Taipei in the semi-finals and eked out a bronze.

The last time Jyothi checked in at the Asian Games before this, as the most decorated Indian compound archer in Hangzhou 2023, the women’s team beat Chinese Taipei to win gold. Its star shone the brightest as the individual and mixed team champion to boot.

From 2014 to 2023 to 2026, much has changed in compound archery's landscape in the country, the region and the world, not least the discipline's years-long Olympic dream finally turning to reality. Except for the one constant—Jyothi. And her medal-winning streak.

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Jyothi pocketed her fourth team medal at the Asian Games on Wednesday, a gold again in 2026 to back up the 2023 run, after the silver in 2018 and bronze in 2014. She had the company of younger compatriots Chikitha Taniparthi, 21, and Prithika Pradeep, 18 in Japan. The duo’s teammate knows a thing or two about turning up and competing at a young age at this multi-sport continental stage.

"I was very young when I went to my first Asian Games in 2014," the 30-year-old told HT. "I had so many things to learn from then until now. Even the competition has increased, be it in the world or in India. The scores are really high now. The competition is very tough, and margins are very narrow. You can't predict anything until the last arrow."

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That unpredictability wiped off almost the entire compound squad that delivered a golden high five three years ago, while bringing in a wave of fresh faces. Of the six who swept every compound title in Hangzhou, only Jyothi is the common link to the individual, mixed and women’s team titles.

Rising domestic scores and the pressure of frequently fighting for a team spot through highly competitive trials often mean no one's place is safe. Like it wasn't for some established names (Abhishek Verma in compound and Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das in recurve) or young achievers (2023 compound world champions Aditi Swami and Ojas Deotale) at the Asian Games trials.

Amidst these intense tussles and massive churns, Jyothi held her place firmly. The Andhra archer attributed that to her mentality of giving 100 percent, regardless of the tournament's stature.

"You have to be as consistent as possible to earn your spot in the Indian team," she said. "I think I'm also lucky, in a way. Because even with hard work, you need some luck. Not too much, but it has to be on your side."

Also on her side is the hunger to keep going, even as younger rivals and teammates keep coming in. "You have to reframe your goals every now and then," she said.

Things had not exactly gone her way so far this year. The 2025 World Cup Final silver medallist did not win an individual medal in the four World Cup stages of 2026 (she was part of two medal-winning women's teams).

"To be honest, I've seen a lot of ups and downs in my performance this year. Not too much down, but it wasn't as smooth as it could be and compared to the previous years," she said.

The challenges were equipment related. The arrows that Jyothi was using stopped production, forcing her to try new arrows that "didn't feel right”. She somehow secured some old arrows ahead of the Asian Games.

Jyothi's experience of the previous Asian Games was "really special". This time, she came in with a slightly different mindset.

"I want to enjoy my shooting and the competition rather than think about results. Because, somehow, it adds a little bit of pressure," Jyothi said. "I want to simply enjoy the whole Asian Games once again."