KOLKATA, Jan 17: Olympian Atanu Das, who was sidelined from the Indian team last year, made a spirited comeback by finishing second in the archery open selection trials that concluded at the SAI here on Tuesday.
The trials were for the four stages of the World Cups, World Championships and the Asian Games scheduled later this year.
Das finished second behind Army’s Dhiraj B, while veteran Jayanta Talukdar and Parth Salunkhe made the top-four spots in the seven-day trials.
It was double delight for Das as his wife Deepika Kumari overcame personal challenges to finish inside top-eight about a month after delivering a baby girl.
It was also a comeback for Deepika, who was excluded from the Indian team in last year’s trials. Following the team’s flop show in the first two World Cups, Deepika, however, was drafted in for the third stage in Paris, where the women’s team bagged a silver.
“It was a much-needed relief for us. We have fought hard for this, overcame many personal challenges,” Das told PTI.
“I’m really happy for Deepika, who really struggled to make a comeback after pregnancy. She was not able to stand, and had to shoot with severe back pain. But she did it. I’m so proud of her.
“We’re really thankful to our family who have been really supportive and keep the baby (Vedika), she’s also adjusting well.”
Personally, Das ended the trials on a happy note as he shot record scores of 348 and 350 out of a maximum 360 points each in the fifth and sixth rounds of the 70m qualification rounds.
“It never happened in the trials, but sadly we don’t keep records. I’m really excited to be back. I was really under pressure to be back but it only brings out the best in me,” Das said.
However, the top-eight is just for the sake of a 20-day national camp that will be held in SAI Sonepat, where there would be a second phase selection trials from February 17 to determine the top-four who will represent India.
The top-16 archers from the Kolkata phase of the trials will fight it out for the top-four.
The outdoor archery calendar begins with the first World Cup in Antalya from April 18-23. Shanghai and Medellin will be the hosts for the second (May 16-21) and third stages (June 13-18) of the World Cup.
The World Championships are slated in Berlin from July 31-August 6 and will offer quota places for the Paris Olympics. The rescheduled Asian Games are scheduled from September 23 in Hangzhou.
Top-eight
Recurve Men: 1 Dhiraj B, 2 Atanu Das, 3 Jayanta Talukdar, 4 Parth Salunkhe, 5 Sukhchain Singh, 6 Neeraj Chauhan, 7 Shukmani Babrekar, 8 Tarundeep Rai.
Recurve Women: 1 Ankita Bhakat, 2 Simranjeet Kaur, 3 Bhajan Kaur, 4 Prachi Singh, 5 Madhu Vedwan, 6 Sangeeta, 7 Deepika Kumari, 8 Ridhi Phor.
Compound Men: 1 Abhishek Verma, 2 Rajat Chauhan, 3 Prathamesh Fuge, 4 Rishabh Yadav, 5 Amit, 6 Ojas Deotale, 7 Kushal Dalal, 8 Prathamesh Jawkar.
Compound Women: 1 Jyothi Surekha Vennam, 2 Parneet Kaur, 3 Aditi Swami, 4 Pragati, 5 Sakshi Chaudhary, 6 Muskan Kirar, 7 Srishti Singh, 8 Aishwarya Sharma. (PTI)
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