'Staring at a wall for hours, pranayam': How Atanu Das prepares for Olympic archery shootouts

Indian archer Atanu Das pulled off two stunning wins to advance into the 1/8 elimination stages of the Olympics 2021 today. The first male archer from the country to advance to this stage, Atanu displayed nerves of steel in both his encounters.

The archer first played against Chinese Taipei's Deng Yu-Cheng. He won the thriller 6-4 to set up a clash against the sensational Oh-Jinhyek.

Atanu Das pulls out the huge 🔟 in a shoot-off to upset London 2012 @Olympics Champion Oh Jin Hyek! What a shot! 🙌#ArcheryatTokyo #archery pic.twitter.com/OVlWxTsBwF

— World Archery (@worldarchery) July 29, 2021

Das brought out his best in the match against the London Olympics gold medalist. He took the game into a shoot-off, where he stayed calm under pressure and nailed a 10 pointer to make the cut for the next round.

Atanu Das and his preparation for the Olympics

Archery is a sport that requires immense concentration. To build concentration, athletes adopt different strategies.

During the 2016 Rio Olympics, Das told Sportskeeda:

"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."

Atanu isn't scared of facing the big archers

Two stunning results ....Atanu Das knocks out the 2012 Olympic Champion in Archery. Manu Bhaker, trolled mercilessly a few days ago, shoots a brilliant 292 to be 5th at the halfway stage of the Women’s 25m Pistol

— Digvijay Singh Deo (@DiggySinghDeo) July 29, 2021

His win against Oh-Jinhyek is a testimony to his grit. He doesn't back off against top-class opponents. His ability to nail targets in clutch situations makes him a tough opponent to beat.

In his interview with Sportskeeda at the Rio Olympics, Das said," I believe that, in an event such as the Olympics, every opponent is the same. All that matters is your ability to hit your shots on the day." He further added, "the pressures of everyday archery is different and the situations keep changing. My goal is just to keep myself unnerved for the future matches."

Atanu Das has been in brilliant form this year

Atanu Das has had one of the best years of his career, winning several international competitions in the build up to the Olympics. The archer was part of the men's team that won silver at the World Championships in 2019. This was the first time an Indian archery team entered the final since 2005.

Many Congratulations to Team INDIA #historicalwin MixTeam Gold🥇Womens Team Gold 🥇Women’s Individual Gold 🥇Compound Individual Gold 🥇@archer_abhishek #atanudas #archeryworld #archeryworldcup2021 #worldarchery #indianarchery pic.twitter.com/uVqSyBEwLZ

— TheAtanuDas (@ArcherAtanu) June 27, 2021

At the Archery World Cup held earlier this year, Das won three medals. His gold at Stage 1 in Gautemala was his first ever in a World Cup. To add to the jubilation, he won a bronze medal in the mixed team event as well. He bagged another gold at the Stage 3 in paris with his wife Deepika Kumari.

Atanu will hope to add to the glory with a medal at the Olympics. Having entered the pre-quarters, he will be determined to go all the way.