New Delhi
Hailing from Satara, Maharashtra, 17-year-old Aditi Gopichand Swami scripted history last month at the Hyundai World Archery Championships held in Berlin, Germany. She won India’s first-ever individual compound title and became the youngest Indian world champion at the age of 17, making history in the World Cup era (from 2006 on). The legacy of Deepika Kumari, Abhishek Verma, Jayant Talukdar and Limba Ram will continue to dominate on the international stage with Swami adding her name to the tally. Swami has already performed at the best level and is looking forward to major tournaments. The upcoming Paris Olympics 2024 will be the major challenge for her, which she would look to conquer before the Asian Games 2023, which will give her the platform to boost her morale. After winning gold in the compound women’s team competition, a first for India, with compatriots Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Parneet Kaur, the 17-year-old defeated Andrea Becerra with a score of 149–147 to win the tag of double world champion, just after winning the junior world champion title less than two months ago. In the gold medal final, the three Indians defeated the Mexican combination of Dafne Quintero, Ana Sofa Hernandez Jeon, and Andrea Becerra 235-229. In the 2023 World Archery Youth Championship that took place in Limerick, the Netherlands, in a nail-biting shootout in the quarterfinals, she overcame Sanne De Laat of the Netherlands. In the semifinals, she faced off against Jyothi Surekha Vennam, a compound colleague who had previously won bronze in 2019 and silver in 2021. Vennam won bronze against Turkey’s Ipek Tomruk making it a double showing for India at the podium. The semifinal match against her idol and colleague Jyothi was Swami’s biggest challenge. She triumphed decisively, winning 149-145.
