Indian archer Atanu Das pulled off an upset in the men's individual Round of 32 event at the Tokyo Olympics, beating South Korea's Oh Jin-Hyek.
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Indian archer Atanu Das pulled off an upset in the men’s individual Round of 32 event at the Tokyo Olympics, beating South Korea’s Oh Jin-Hyek. (Tokyo 2020 full coverage)
Das, who wasn’t in the best of form coming into the men’s individual event, showed nerves of steel. He came back from down 2-4 to edge out the Korean great by shooting a perfect 10 in the one-arrow shootoff.
Oh had won the individual gold medal in London 2012 and was a member of the gold medal winning team at the ongoing Tokyo Games. He was also part of the bronze-wining team at the 2012 Olympics.
Das saw off a tough challenge from Chinese Taipei’s Deng Yu-Cheng earlier in the day.
Both players won two sets each following some intense shooting to be tied 4-4. In the decider too they were going neck-and-neck till 19-all.
But the archer from Chinese Taipei crumbled under pressure, misfiring a 7 as Das held his nerve to seal a 6-4 win after drilling in a 9.
The Tokyo Olympics, which was delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is now up and running. The Games have not been without their share of controversies, however.
The event is happening despite plenty of protests from the Japanese people against it. And the angst is not without reason. Tokyo is currently in a state of emergency due to a rise in COVID cases.
The Games will by and large be played out in the absence of fans, always a major psychological blow to athletes. There’s also been a number of cases reported in the Olympic village itself.
Nevertheless, the Games remain an event that many around the world will be keen to watch. From July 23 to August 8, many will be hooked onto their televisions to follow the events.
India will also be pinning medal hopes on boxing. So far, three boxers including Satish Kumar are in the quarters. Making the semis guarantees a broze medal.
