Atanu and Dhiraj Lose in Shoot-offs, End India’s Archery Campaign in Asian Games Quarterfinals

India’s representation in the Recurve Men’s Individual archery event at the 19th Asian Games concluded in the quarterfinals as both Atanu Das and Dhiraj Bomadevara narrowly lost to their respective opponents in shoot-offs.

Atanu Das, the top male recurve archer in the country, faced a heartbreak defeat in a shoot-off against China’s Qi Xiangshuo at the Fuyang Yinhu Sports Centre. This loss also meant that Atanu missed out on an Olympic quota place.

Starting slowly with a seven, Atanu lost the first set 23-29 but rallied to equalize the score at 5-5 set points. However, in the subsequent shoot-off, Atanu scored a 10, while the Chinese archer shot an inner-circle (10+), securing the victory and a spot in the semifinals.

On the other hand, Dhiraj Bomadevara made a strong start but unexpectedly missed two shots, failing to score any points. This allowed Kazakhstan’s Ilfat Abdullah to level the scores twice and force a shoot-off.

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In the decisive shoot-off, Dhiraj shot a 9, while his opponent scored a 10, sealing victory. It was a match that Dhiraj should have won comfortably, but he appeared to lose his composure at a crucial moment.

Atanu Das, although disappointed with the loss, expressed his satisfaction with his performance, saying, “Victory or defeat is not in our hands. We can’t control our opponent either. We can only control our own actions and emotions. I am happy and sad at the same time because I lost. I am happy because I performed well.”

However, Atanu was disheartened by missing out on an Olympic quota place for the Paris Olympic Games. He mentioned his concern was to secure the Olympic quota from the Asian Games but indicated there was still hope in the mixed team event.

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Reflecting on his slow start, Atanu stated that he couldn’t understand why it happened in the first round and felt like he had gifted the set to his opponent. Nevertheless, he appreciated the experience and his performance in a challenging match, emphasizing that the outcome was not entirely in his control.

He concluded, “I performed well and I left everything to God” after the setback.

-IANS