Archery
Tokyo Olympics: Archer Atanu Das pulls off a brilliant comeback to lead men's team to quarters
The veteran archer from India bounced back in the Men's Team event after a poor initial performance in the ranking round of Tokyo Olympics.
Indian Men Archery Team at Tokyo Olympics (Source: World Archery)
Overcoming all the negative comments around, World No. 9 Atanu Das pulled off an amazing comeback in the Men's Team Archery Round. The Indian contingent defeated the team from Kazakhstan in the 1/16 elimination round with a score of 6-2.
The experienced archer was criticised for his poor performance in the Men's Individual Ranking Round where he was ranked 35th with a lowly score of 653. Ranked below his compatriot Jadhav who achieved the 31st position, he lost out on a chance to compete in the Mixed Team's event with his wife Deepika Kumari.
Deepika and Atanu were predicted to present a strong performance for India and be a medal contender in the Mixed event but a disappointing performance by Das ended that hope. Deepika paired up with Jadhav and lost the mixed team quarterfinals to Korea by 2-6.
While Atanu bounced back today with a rejuvenated spirit smiling throughout the match. He served as a leader by hitting good arrows of 9s and 10s. The veteran also continuously motivated his teammates with shouts of confidence after each of their shots.
Focus, grit, but also a smile! That was Atanu Das today.
— The Bridge (@the_bridge_in) July 26, 2021
South Korea are the likely opponents in the quarter-finals though!
The real test begins now. We MOVE..!🇮🇳#Tokyo2020 | #Archery pic.twitter.com/e9fdZ6CxSh
With this positive mindset, he has been able to turn the tables and change the negative environment surrounding him. The powerful Indian team will now be facing the much-stronger South Korean archers in their Quarterfinal match. This is going to be a tough task for the Indian men but with Atanu's constant smile, the pressure on the team and the Indian fans both are subdued.
