Deepika Kumari was knocked out in straight sets by An San as India's archery hopes now rest on Atanu Das.
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India suffered heartbreak in the archery women’s quarterfinal contest as Deepika Kumari was knocked out by South Korea sensation An San in straight games. In far from ideal conditions, Deepika Kumari proved to be no match to An San as she lost 6-0. With her loss, India’s archery chances now hinge on Atanu Das as he will be aiming to give India that elusive medal in archery. Atanu had defeated 2012 gold medallist Oh Jin Hyuk to advance to the last eight stage.
In the match, the first set itself set the tone. Deepika shot a miserable seven while An San responded with three consecutive 10s. The Indian clawed her way back with two 10s but the first set was won with a perfect 30 from An San. Deepika Kumari had taken the lead in the first shot of the second set with a perfect 10. But, she followed it up with a disastrous two sevens. Although An San also hit a seven, her second shot was a 10 and that gave her the second set by 26-24.
Trailing 0-4, Deepika needed a great set to come back in the match. But, in the third set, Deepika managed 7,8, and 9 in her three shots. On the other hand, An San managed to score two nines and seal the match.
An San, at the age of 20, is already touted to win the medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In the qualifying rounds of the archery event, she managed to secure a brilliant 680 out of 720 points. It was a new Olympic record in her debut tournament. She started off her archery passion in school and she participated with the boys as there was no girl’s team.
Overcoming the gender barrier, An San became one of the best archers in South Korea. In the selection trials that were held in the aftermath of the Tokyo Olympics 2020 postponement, she secured third place in the archery selections.
This was not the first time that An San had defeated Deepika Kumari. In the 2019 Test event in Tokyo, An San had gotten the better of her Indian opponent. During the 2019 World Cup in Berlin, An San once again managed to win the gold medal.
An San is already a gold medal winner in Tokyo Olympics 2020. South Korea won the mixed team and mixed events, South Korea have swept the gold. In the mixed team event, An San partnered with Kim Je Deok as South Korea defeated the Netherlands 5-3 in the final. The dominance continued even in the women’s team event.
An San partnered with Jang Minhnee and Kang Chaeyoung to beat ROC 6-0 and secure the second gold medal. South Korea is the dominant country in archery, having won the majority of the gold medals in the sport. An San will now be aiming for a hat-trick of gold medals in the Tokyo Olympics 2020. At the age of 20, the legend of An San has already been established. South Korea continues to produce assembly line archers of brilliance. An San is a testament to the robustness of the system in place.
