Jyothi Surekha Vennam

Jyothi Surekha Vennam, born on July 3, 1996, in Challapalli, Andhra Pradesh, India, began her journey in sports at a very early age. She started swimming at three and, by 2001, had already achieved a notable feat by swimming 5 km across the Krishna River in just over three hours, earning her a place in the Limca Book of Records as the youngest to do so. Her father, a former Kabaddi player and veterinary doctor, supported her early athletic endeavors. Jyothi pursued her education concurrently with her sporting career, completing her Bachelor of Technology and Master of Business Administration from K L University.

Surekha transitioned to archery at age 11 and quickly excelled in the compound bow category. Her international career began to flourish with a bronze medal at the 2011 Asian Archery Championships in Tehran, Iran. She continued her ascent by securing two bronze medals at the 2013 World Archery Youth Championships in Wuxi, China. Over the years, Jyothi has consistently performed at a high level, accumulating a substantial medal count across various international tournaments. She has secured four gold, four silver, and two bronze medals at the Asian Archery Championships, demonstrating her dominance at the continental level.

Her achievements on the global stage include one gold, five silver, and three bronze medals at the World Archery Championships, with a career highlight of winning three silver medals at the 2021 World Archery Championships as the first Indian archer to do so. At the Archery World Cup events, she has won five gold, eight silver, and seven bronze medals, including multiple golds in 2023 and 2024. In 2022, she secured three gold medals at the Asian Games held in Hangzhou, becoming the first Indian in archery to achieve this. Alongside Rishabh Yadav, she set a mixed team world record of 1431 in 2025 at the World Cup.