It has been a memorable few days for Indian archer Atanu Das.
The 24-year-old captured the men's recurve bronze at the 2016 Archery World Cup in Shanghai. The West Bengal boy carried on the momentum to win the mixed team bronze with Deepika Kumari after edging past third-seeded South Korea.
Atanu, who began his journey ten years back in archery at the Calcutta Archery Club, a town in the northern outskirts of Kolkata, had to face many challenges while growing up.
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Journey from Arjun to Atanu Das
Although he came from a middle-class family, his family never asked for help from his relatives. His father gave him his first bow worth Rs. 30,000 and assured that he will support Atanu in every way.
Speaking to Sportskeeda in an exclusive interview, he says, "I always had a keen interest in individual sports; I don't believe much in a team sport like cricket or football. When I used to go out with my bow, people used to refer me as Arjun, few used to mock me as Ram and Lakshman."
In 2007, he participated in the Archery Nationals for the first time and he grabbed a medal in the recurve event. Atanu has not had to look back since then.
"After my success, I was not Arjun anymore. I suddenly became Atanu Das. The fact is, I did not get any support from those ‘well-wishers’ when I actually needed them," he says. he says.
Had Tata Archery Academy (TAA) not come up with their program in Jamshedpur, Atanu would have had a different destiny.
"TAA has produced world class archers like Dola Di (Banerjee), Deepika Kumari and Jayanta Da (Talukdar) over the years. They have every facility there - equipment, ground, coach, and proper environment," says Atanu.
The Bharat Petroleum employee adds, "I am thankful to TAA as well as OGQ for their support."
And from Atanu Das to Indian medal-winning archer
After a superb beginning, he became the top-ranked Indian male archer in 2011, 2012, and 2013 World Cup. But somehow he lost his foothold in 2015. A change in his equipment rekindled the fire and finished the year well at the Asian Championship in Bangkok which happened to be the last tournament of the year and his first.
Atanu had a fairly productive 2016 but he did not give the impression of experiencing any 'top of the world' feeling after winning two medals in the marquee event that recently concluded in Shanghai.
"Yes, I am happy with my overall performance. But we have a couple of hurdles before Rio Olympics 2016 that will ensure our qualification. So, I am pretty much focused and will try to continue my form there," he says.
Although he has been consistently winning medals in World Cups and World Championships, he believes an Olympic medal is a must for the future of Indian archery.
"We are trying our best but it is wrong to expect medals when the government cares about the sport just six months before the Games," he says.
The growth of archery in India in the last decade is something to be proud of but Atanu is not concentrating on the added pressure of bringing home a medal. "It's sad that everyone wants a medal in Rio 2016. Where were they in the last four years?"
“But I know the expectations of the people and we will give our best shot," he concludes.
Certainly Atanu will love to keep his winning streak going into the Rio Olympics. Even if it is not perfect, he promises to do his best.
