The world no. 1 compound archer in mixed and team events, India’s Jyothi Surekha Vennam has been overlooked for the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award, despite coming up with great performances throughout the year, including the Asian Games 2023. The 27-year-old had won three golds at the event, to go with a gold & silver at the World Championships and four golds at the World Cup.
In a report by the Times of India, Jyothi claimed that she would approach the court, if not offered a proper explanation, as to why she was not considered for the Khel Ratna. She also mentioned that she had the highest points among all the entries for the prestigious award. For the record, there is a points system in place, by which the recipients for the Khel Ratna are decided, and that cycle began from January 1, 2019, to the conclusion of Asian/Para Games 2023.
Higher Points Than Satwik-Chirag
“I have a total of 148.74 points which is the highest among all the applicants and much more than what has been awarded to Satwik and Chirag. From the Asiad individual gold, I earned 30 points and, from the mixed team and women’s team gold, I got 22.5 and 20 points, respectively,” Surekha told TOI.
“I earned 13.33 points from the 2023 World Championships women’s team gold and 10 points from the individual bronze secured at the same event. Then at the 2021 World Championships, I got 15 points for individual silver, 11.25 for mixed team silver and 10 for team silver. At the 2019 Worlds, I got 10 points for the individual bronze and 6.66 for the team bronze. All these achievements have come in the four-year awards cycle, and they count for a total of 148.74 points.”
Jyothi Surekha Wants an Explanation
She continued, “I am deeply disappointed and disheartened over the snub. I believe my achievements speak for me. I want to know the reasons from the sports ministry, Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the awards selection committee as to why my name wasn’t considered for the Khel Ratna despite logging the highest points,” she added.
She did not shy away from threatening to approach the court too. “I have that option but that’s the last one. First of all, I want to know the reasons why my name wasn’t considered, before approaching the court.”
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