The Indian Express ·
Compound Interest: Can India upstage Korea and Taiwan for mixed team gold?
The most recognised face of India's Compound Archery has won two World's silvers and many World Cup medals in mixed team; but the Asiad gold will be her most coveted with its Olympics quota tag.
Korean male compound archer Kim Jong-ho was an absolute beast of the Mixed Team event at Archery World Championships — winning four back to back world titles with different partners till 2019. India’s Jyothi Surekha Vennam doesn’t have a gold at the World’s, but two mixed team silvers at 2021 and most recently at the 2025 edition, make her one of Compound Archery’s most dependable athletes at the all-important Asian Games.
For all her previous glory, the consistent medals that define her longevity and the individual genius, will pale in comparison to what’s at stake at the Aichi Nagoya Asian Games. The mixed team gold offers a quota place for the LA Olympics. Vennam won the mixed gold alongwith Ojas Deotale in a three gold haul at Hangzhou Asiad, and a repeat of the paired title will make XD gold more precious than others.
“There will be extra motivation to seal a quota place. While we train hard with same passion and intensity as always, people’s perception changes with this,” Vennam explained to The Indian Express. “There’s also motivation that India mixed teams are strong and we have proved it since a long time. And that’ll be the case in future too. Olympics event is new for us but it’s same mentality as well as training. Rest of countries are also looking to better in both men and women sections to find balance in mixed events,” she adds.
