No Mixed feelings: Compound archers welcome LA 2028 inclusion

Mumbai: From the heartland of Satara’s archery talent hub that has produced reigning world champions Aditi Swami and Ojas Deotale, to Central Florida where World Cup participant Jyothi Surekha Vennam felt a rush of joy, compound archery’s Olympic stamp got India’s top archers buzzing. It may just be the one mixed event for now at the 2028 LA Olympics, yet there were no mixed emotions. For, India’s compound archers have had to wait long for this. “Very, very long,” Vennam said.

This is an archer who has gobbled up multiple medals from various elite tournaments: World Championships, World Cups, Asian Games, Asian Championships, World Youth Championships. All along the Olympics would not add compound to its recurve fold. There was optimism around LA 2028 — compound is popular in the US — but when that too passed at the IOC Session in Mumbai in 2023, the hollow feeling got deeper. Until Wednesday’s announcement filled it up. “I’m glad that it is finally happening,” Vennam said over phone from Florida where she is with the India team to take part in the first leg of the World Cup. “It is a happy surprise, not only for me but for every compound archer.”

For the 28-year-old, who won the individual, team and mixed team gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games, it gives fresh purpose to a career in its prime. “It’s really big for me. I have medals from every tournament, but the Olympics was the one missing thing. Now, we have three years to work towards it. Maintaining our form and performance, and being consistent will be the challenge.”

India has a much stronger presence in compound compared to recurve in global archery. Three individual medallists from the previous Worlds in 2023 were Indians. The women’s team, ranked world No.1, won gold. The men’s team is ranked second. At the Asian Games two years ago, India swept all five compound gold medals.

“From all the international archery medals India has won over the last three years, I’d say 80% have come in compound,” said Sanjeeva Singh, the 2004 national compound champion who is credited with bringing compound archery to India in the early 2000s. “In recurve, others have a physical advantage over Indians whereas compound levels the field. We added compound to senior nationals from 2004, and with the kind of talent we currently have, India is poised to win an Olympic medal in archery.”

Among those talents are Aditi and Deotale. Both youngsters train at Satara’s Drushti Academy, where coach Pravin Sawant has produced more compound archers who have progressed to the national setup. “India right now has a nice mix of compound archers who all push each other, from Jyothi to Aditi and Abhishek (Verma, 35) to Ojas,” said Sawant, who was coach of India’s compound contingent in the Asian Games sweep. “But I’ve told my archers to stay grounded and focus on preparations because three years is a long time.”

Sawant said his phone wouldn’t stop ringing all day, with a barrage of calls from his academy archers and parents. And from sponsors and corporates who are now showing interest in picking up compound archers. Greater recognition for their tribe, Vennam hopes, also comes with this Olympic inclusion.

“Even though we would win medals consistently, no matter how many medals we won at the Asian Games or World Championships, everyone was like, ‘Oh ok, but it’s not an Olympic event’. That was always something we would hear. And at times we would feel bad. I really hope things change now. And maybe more sponsors look at us compound archers,” said Vennam, competing in the individual and mixed events of the Florida World Cup with her women’s team members failing to travel due to visa delay.

India can flaunt a solid compound CV at present but other countries, like recurve powerhouses South Korea, are bound to give this discipline a closer look now with LA in sight. “We have more compound archers in India than Korea. But going forward, all the countries will push. It will not be a cakewalk for us,” Singh said.

There’s also the factor of expectations and pressure, which often accompanies Indian archers at the Olympic stage. Being favoured to win a medal can be equally daunting. Vennam has experienced that in every other stage, but the Olympics are unmatched. “Hopefully the pressure doesn’t get into us,” she said. “Because if you feel that pressure, there will be little chance of performing at your best. Hopefully, we can work towards winning an Olympic medal for our country.”