'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAwT/2gAIAQEAAAAAnb//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAE/9oACAECEAAAAEf/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/9oACAEDEAAAAE//xAAfEAACAgEEAwAAAAAAAAAAAAABAwIFBAAGETESIVH/2gAIAQEAAT8A2fvizs82zUuc2oxsZLELdPw79HoadeAumRW4nBkfuv/EABgRAAIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACAQNB/9oACAECAQE/AHrWcP/EABYRAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEAEv/aAAgBAwEBPwDS3//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Indian archer Atanu Das bowed out of the men’s individual archery event after losing his round-of-16 match 4-6 (25-27, 28-28, 28-27, 28-28, 26-27) to Japan's Takaharu Furukawa at the Tokyo Olympics 2021 on Saturday. The Japanese archer was a silver medallist at the 2012 London Olympics.
Atanu Das looked a shadow of himself from his previous match against Korea’s Oh Jin-Hyek. The Indian archer overcame a sluggish start to pick up the pace as the game progressed.
Atanu lost the first set after scoring a couple of 8s to end with a below par 25 while Furukawa scored 9-9-9 to win the first.
The Indian started the second with a perfect 10 followed by an impressive 9. Furukawa was left behind by one point when he could only manage a couple of 9s with his first two shots.
Check Out: Tokyo Olympics 2021 Schedule
When a 10-pointer could have won the set for Atanu Das, the Indian managed to score only a 9 giving the Japanese got an opening to crawl back into the set. Furukawa shot a 10 with his third and the points were shared.
Atanu Das did well in patches but lacked consistency. Despite his wife and World No. 1 Deepika Kumari cheering loudly from the stands, just as she did in his earlier match, Atanu Das couldn't get going and faltered when it mattered the most.
In the third set, Atanu Das started well, scoring 20 of the first two but a poor 8 in the third arrow gave Furukawa another chance. However, the Japanese could only manage 8-10-9 and fell behind by a solitary point.
The parity continued in the fourth set as well when both archers had an identical scoreline of 9-10-9.
Turning point for Atanu Das
In the fifth and final set, just when it looked like there would be a shoot-off as both the archers matched shot to shot, Atanu Das slipped in concentration and scored an 8 with his second shot. Furukawa responded with a perfect 10, putting the pressure on Atanu.
Trailing by two points (17-19) after the second arrow, Atanu Das needed a 10 to keep his hopes alive but scored 9 instead. It left Furukawa needing to score an 8 or above to pocket the match. The Japanese pounced on the opening to score an 8 and progress to the quarterfinal.
With Atanu Das’ exit, the Indian challenge in archery at the Tokyo Olympics 2021 has come to an end. World No. 1 Deepika Kumari was ousted in the quarterfinals on Friday while Pravin Jadhav and Tarundeep Rai exited early in the competition.
The men’s team and the mixed team failed to make any impact either. Overall, the archery contingent performed below expectations.
