Atanu the lone bright spot
RIO DE JANEIRO: On another dismal day for India, archer Atanu Das provided some comfort when he blanked Nepal’s Jit Bahadur Muktan 6-0 and then overcame Cuba’s Adrian Andres Puentes Perez 6-4 to enter the pre-quarterfinals on Day 4 of the Olympic Games here.
Jit Bahadur was no match for Atanu who maintained his composure right through the first round to eliminate the Nepal archer. In the second round, Atanu faced tough competition from Perez before winning the thrilling contest 6-4 and sealing a quarters berth.
The task for the 24-year-old Indian gets tougher from here as he takes on South Korea’s world No 5 Lee Seung-Yun in the lasteight clash. Lee was a member of the victorious Korean team that won the recurve gold at Rio. The next rounds are scheduled for 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 him a place in the last eight even before his opponent had aimed for his final strike. Atanu did not disappoint and hit the bullseye, taking an unassailable lead and winning the final set 29-28. HEENA DISAPPOINTS Pistol shooter Heena Sidhu couldn’t draw inspiration from Abhinav Bindra’s fighting spirit in 10m air rifle a day earlier, finishing 21st at the end of the 25m ‘rapid stage qualification’. She managed an aggregate of 576 after the ‘precision’ and ‘rapid’ rounds which was nowhere close to helping her earn a finals berth. DATTU DISAPPOINTS Rower Dattu Baban completed his assignment at the Games, finishing fourth in the quarterfinals of the men’s single sculls on Tuesday. The India clocked 6:59.89 over a distance of 2000m, nearly six seconds off the third and last qualifier from Quarterfinal 4, Natan WegrzyckiSzymczyk (6:53.52) from Poland. The Army man had clocked 7:21.67s in the heats. BRITAIN OUTCLASS INDIA Britain outplayed the Indian women’s hockey team 0-3 in their second group match on Monday. Britain’s class — they are ranked No 7 in the world — was on show as Giselle Ansley (25th min), Nicola White (27th) and Alexandra Danson (33rd) pumped in goals with ease to pile on India’s misery. This was India’s first defeat in Pool B after having drawn with Japan 2-2 in the opener. India take on Australia on Wednesday, while Britain face Argentina.