Atanu Das has proved himself time and again on the international arena — individual gold at the 2021 World Cup in Guatemala City and a gold again in the 2021 World Cup mixed team event in Paris being some of his best — but an Asian Games medal has eluded the recurve archer.

This is one medal which the archer hopes to add to his collection this year at the Games in Hangzhou, China, to be held from September 23 to October 8.

India’s medal haul in archery at the Asian Games has not been too many — a total of 10 medals with just one gold — over all the Games beginning in 1952.

“But this time I am well prepared and so is each member of the squad,” Atanu told The Telegraph from Sonipat, where he is attending the national camp.

“China, Korea, Japan will definitely pose tough challenges for us, but we are well prepared too,”

Atanu won a team bronze in the World Cup Stage 4 in Paris last month. That must have given him a boost ahead of China?

“I know I am in a strong state and will perform to the best of my ability. But I am not thinking much about the results right now. I never do. For then it is not possible to perform at this level,” he said.

The debacle at the Tokyo Olympics had sent the world crashing around the Bengal archer.

He had lost in the round of 16 to Japan’s Takaharu Furukawa after raising high hopes when he defeated Korea’s Oh Jin-Hyek — the London Olympics gold medallist — in the previous round.

And all this when the World Cup gold medallist was well-prepared and confident.

After Tokyo, he took a two-month break from the game, travelled extensively and tried to relax. Then he returned to training again.

He started to focus on things he had earned and left aside those which he didn’t. He started to live in the present and managed to make peace with himself, finding his groove back.

“Since Tokyo, a lot of changes happened to me, both at an emotional and physical level. Keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best this time,” added the 31-year-old archer who will leave for Hangzhou on September 27.

Having been around for many years, how does he think that archery as a game has changed over the years?

“A lot of young and talented archers are coming up these days and I am happy to see India growing in sports. Not just in archery but the strides it is taking in all
sports.

One last question: How different a person is Atanu the dad? (Atanu’s wife, archer Deepika Kumari, gave birth to a daughter last December)

“I am more mature today and being a father is a feeling I can’t explain in words,” Atanu said.