With the ouster of Deepika Kumari, Laishram Bombayla Devi and Laxmirani Majhi in the women’s individual recurve archery competition at the Rio Olympics 2016, the onus now lies on Atanu Das to keep Indian medal hopes alive. It might have been hard for many to envisage him as the last Indian standing in this sport but in reality, the 24-year-old Kolkata boy has been India’s most consistent archer all season.
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Overshadowed by the more accomplished Deepika Kumari’s exploits, his performances, unfortunately, have somewhat gone unnoticed. Focused and determined, the unassuming Atanu had been making his quiet progress throughout the season, leaving an indelible mark at every World Cup.
Medals galore in 2016
At the Shanghai World Cup, he grabbed two bronze medals, one in men’s team event and the other in the mixed team category. He returned with a mixed team medal yet again from the Antalya World Cup where he finished second best alongside Kumari.
The conditions at the coastal Turkish city weren’t the best. The wind wreaked havoc on Kumari but Atanu remained unperturbed, not bothered much by it.
That itself provides a fine example of his courage and conviction under pressure.
No wonder his performance at Rio is garnering a lot of attention for his steady mind and brilliant composure in the most challenging situation. In his round of 32 elimination match on Tuesday, he was put under the gun by Cuban archer Adrian Andres Puentes Perez.
The pressure was mounting and his 10s dried up but Atanu did not panic. He did not let his nerves defeat him in an Olympic debut that has already been every bit stunning. Going into the final set, he calmly summoned his very best and shot two impeccable 10s to clinch the win.
That fearless attitude, the guts and the gumption aided him during the ranking rounds too where he stormed back from the 24th position to finish at an amazing 5th.
Mental training exercises have helped him
Atanu definitely did not acquire it all overnight. It was a result of a patient practice and rigorous mental training with an eye to performing on the world’s biggest stage. In a recent interview to Sportskeeda, he has admitted that mental toughness was not one of his strengths earlier but he had incorporated a lot of simple mental exercises to enhance it further.
“For the last two years of my career, I have specifically worked on improving my mental pressure as it was one of my weak points. I specifically focus on exercises such as Pranayam or just staring at the wall for four to five hours, without being distracted at any cost. It’s a simple yet affective exercise.”
Today, petty external issues like the wind do not affect him. Even when his compatriots have pointed out the conditions as one of their biggest obstacles, the Kolkata archer has been a picture of serenity with all his focus only on the target right in front of him.
“For example, here in Rio the biggest problem is the wind. Before I would let that affect me mentally, but now I treat it as a situation we both are in and have to work around,’ he said.
The spirited resilience and the admirable body language that he has shown so far are what Olympic champions are made of. It prompted Olympian shooter Joydeep Karmakar to dedicate a Facebook status on him, praising Das’s demeanour.
“I would like to be skeptical, but one guy is a serious threat to all the medal contenders. Superb body language, and composure of a winner!
I can’t predict the results, but honestly I saw an Olympic champion today,” Karmakar wrote after the World No. 22 booked his berth in the Round of 16 on Tuesday.
One-shot-at-a -time approach has worked wonders
Das himself has revealed that by taking his mind off results, he has been able to cut out unnecessary tension and narrow down his focus on his shots – the only thing that is in his control. That is the sole reason why he has been able to deliver when the stakes were high.
There’s never been any doubt about his immense talent. Ever since he won a medal at the 2007 Archery Nationals, it was only a matter of time before he would get the right opportunity to prove himself.
This is that much-coveted chance to shine for Atanu. Former national coach Limba Ram too has his faith in the youngster and has even gone to the extent of saying that the Indian can bring home the glittering gold.
“If Atanu keeps his focus, then I am confident he’s going to win gold this time. It may sound over-ambitious, but I’m certain of his calibre,” he said in an interview with Ei Samay.
Das has an opponent in his pre-quarter-final match today who should be the favourite on paper. Ranked 8th in the world, South Korean Lee Seung-yun is placed 14 ranking spots above the Indian. He has already clinched the team bronze at this Games.
The Korean sure has his achievements to speak for. But Atanu too has a weapon – a very deadly one – that he can bank upon – his self-belief. He has displayed that in abundance in the last few days at Rio. If he can bring that to the fore once again, anything is possible!
