The Indian archery squads for the upcoming Asian Games have been finalized after intense selection trials. Jyothi Surekha Vennam, the world number three compound archer, expressed confidence in her younger teammates, Taniparthi Chikitha and Prithika Pradeep, highlighting the squad’s potential to repeat their success from the 2022 Asiad in Japan.
Jyothi, a three-time gold medalist at the Hangzhou Asian Games, will be competing in her fourth Asian Games alongside Chikitha and Prithika. Chikitha, aged 20, is the reigning compound U21 world youth champion, while Prithika secured silver in the U18 category at the same event.
With the infusion of young talent into the senior ranks for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, Jyothi, at 29, has naturally assumed the role of anchor and team leader. She emphasized the capabilities of the young archers, noting their prior selection for the Indian team in various international competitions.
The Indian recurve men’s team witnessed a significant change with seasoned archer Atanu Das missing out on selection for the Asian Games. Olympian Dhiraj Bommedevara acknowledged the absence of Das and Tarundeep Rai, highlighting the valuable experience shared by the senior archers with the team.
The Asiad-bound archers are set to undergo an exposure camp in Japan from September 5 to 18, ahead of the Asian Games scheduled from September 19 to October 4. Additionally, Jyothi and Dhiraj expressed optimism about India hosting the centenary Commonwealth Games in 2030 and the potential inclusion of archery in the event.
