Atanu Das was the last hope for India in securing a medal in archery but he lost to Japan’s Takaharu Furukuwa in a close encounter in the 1/8th Elimination round.
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Atanu Das was the last remaining medal contender for India in archery in Tokyo Olympics 2020. After the exit of Deepika Kumari on Friday to An San and with Pravin Jadhav losing to Brady Ellison, Atanu was the last hope. He put up a fantastic fight in the game against Japan’s Takahuru Furukawa in the 1/8th elimination round in the Yumenoshima Final Field venue on Saturday. But, Atanu lost 4-6. With his loss, India’s journey in the Archery competition in Tokyo Olympics 2020 had come to a close.
Atanu started the contest with a nine but he shot two eights in the remaining two shots in the first set. Furukawa, on the other hand, shot with consistency as he won the first set with three straight nines to win it 27-25. When one looks at the broader context of the match, these two eights would prove to be very costly for Atanu’s prospects to progress.
However, Atanu Das had a superb second set as he shot 10,9 and 9. But, Furukawa, the 2012 London Olympics archery silver medalist, responded with 9,9 and a 10 on his last shot to level the set and take a 3-1 lead. For the Japanese, there was a slight moment of worry in the first set when there was a review for the second shot. But, the judges ruled that the second shot was in the nine spot. Having overcome that initial worry, Furukawa was in a strong position.
But, Atanu Das refused to give up. The third set saw Atanu at his brilliant best as he shot two 10s and an eight. Furukawa shot 8 and 10 and was in the contest until the last shot. But, his third arrow could only fetch him 9 and Atanu leveled the match in grand style. The match was poised on a knife-edge. There was nothing separating both players.
Atanu shot 9,10,9 in the fourth set while Furukawa responded with the same score to level the fourth set at 28-28. The Indian archer shot a 9 in the final set. But, disaster struck him as his second arrow registered eight. Atanu tried to bounce back. He had to hit a 10 to have any chance of keeping the match alive. But, he managed to shoot only a nine, giving him 26 points.
For the Indian to progress, Furukawa needed to have a disastrous set. But, Atanu’s hopes all but faded when the Japanese archer shot a 9 and a 10 in his first two shots. When Furukawa calmly waited and hit an eight, the game was over for Atanu. Four eight shots by Atanu as compared to two by Furukawa proved to be the ultimate difference.
Atanu Das and Deepika Kumari, the power couple of archery, had a good Tokyo Olympics 2020. In the team event, they could not match up to South Korea as they were knocked out 6-0.
But, Atanu will have superb memories of the Tokyo Olympics 2020. His major moment came when he defeated 2012 London Olympics gold medalist Oh Jin Hyuk of South Korea. That win put him in a good position for medal contention. But, against Furukawa, he was undone by the calmness of the Japanese archer. Deepika Kumari, the world number one, also had a superb Tokyo Olympics outing. However, she met her match against teenage sensation An San of South Korea.
Both Atanu and Deepika have missed out on a medal chance in Tokyo Olympics 2020. The focus now shifts to Paris 2024 and a hope that India’s medals tally in archery is broken.
