Unheralded Atanu Das enters men's archery quarterfinals
Synopsis
Das first blanked Jit Bahadur Muktan of Nepal 6-0 in the round of 32 encounter and then kept his composure to prevail over Cuban Adrian Andres Puentes Perez 6-4 in a thrilling pre-quarterfinal clash.
However, the road ahead is full of challenges for the 24-year old from Kolkata as he is now up against South Korean archer and a former world No 5 Lee Seung-Yun in the last eight clash.
Lee was a part of the victorious South Korean outfit that won gold in the team Recurve event at the ongoing Games.
The quarter-final is scheduled to be held on August 12.
What was impressive about Atanu was the manner in which he held his nerve during his last shot in the fifth and final set.
The score was 19-18 and a '10 pointer' would have ensured his place in the last eight even before his opponent had aimed for his final strike.
Atanu did not disappoint as he hit the 'Bulls Eye' taking an unassailable lead and winning the final set 29-28. The score in his favour was 28-26 29-26 26-27 27-28 29-28 in favour of the Kolkatan.
Earlier in the day, he made a short work of the Muktan in three straight games with a comprehensive scoreline of 29-26 29-24 30-26, enjoying a fair lead in all three sets including a hat-trick of Perfect 10's in the final game.