Rio Games 2016: Unheralded Atanu Das enters men's archery pre-quarterfinals

Talented archer Atanu Das provided a silver lining on a disappointing day for the Indians by entering the pre-quarterfinals of the Individual Recurve event at the 2016 Rio Olympics .

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 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.

Lee was a part of the victorious South Korean outfit that won gold in the team Recurve event at the ongoing Games. The pre-quarterfinal 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 .

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.