Chekrovolu Swuro is an ace archer from India and has qualified for the 2012 London Olympics. She talks to Gaurav Jha of Indian Sports News about how important it was for her to qualify and how she feels about her chances. She also talks about the future of archery in India and much more. Excerpts:
ISN: How was the feeling of getting qualified for the London Olympics?
Swuro: It is a feeling that I cannot explain. I never thought that I will represent India in the London Olympics and it feels amazing that I will compete with the best players of the world and that too on the biggest stage of them all. To tell you the truth, I still cannot believe that I have achieved what I always dreamt about.
ISN: You have crossed one hurdle, but now is the real test for you. How do you see your chances in Olympics?
Swuro: I have still not thought about that. I am really happy that I will be wearing India’s colors in the Olympics. I am going into the tournament with high hopes and will give it my best shot, rest everything depends on that particular day. I will try my best and will leave everything on god.
ISN: Archery is a sport which still have to make a mark in India. What do you think is the future of this sport.
Swuro: According to me the sport is growing in the country. It is still not reached the level that it deserves but atleast it is moving in the right direction. This time Bombayla Devi and I have qualified for the Olympics and we will try everything to perform well. I think it is our responsibility to perform well because by doing that we can make people talk about our sport and it will be a great help.
ISN: What do you think will make the young people join this sport?
Swuro: As you will know that archery is an expensive sport and all the equipments cost a lot of money. People who are not well financially have a very little chance to continue with this sport. Mittal Champions Trust (MCT) helped me and provided all the equipment to me. I don’t think that without their support I would have made to the Olympics. It will be a great help for us chargers if more and more organizations come forward to help us like the way MCT is helping us.
ISN: There is less than two-and-a-half three months to go for the Olympics. How do you see your preparation?
Swuro: Right now I am working on my technique because I think I still have some problems in that area. I think that I have time to improve my game. Apart from that, I am working on my concentration and mental fitness as it is very important aspect of the game.
