Indian Archers Knocked Out By the mighty Koreans in quarter-finals
Indian trio of Atanu Das, Pravin Jadhav, and Tarundeep Rai have been knocked out by top seed South Korean trio of Kim Je Deok, Oh Jin Hayek, and Kim Woojin in men's archery team quarterfinals. The South Korean team consisting of Kim Je Deok, Kim Woojin, and Oh Jinhyek beat the Indian team 6-0 to reach the semi-finals. The Koreans put enormous pressure on India from the first arrow shooting 10-10-9 for a 29 and India responded with 8-10-10. Korea then shot 10-10-10 to capture 2 points.
The ninth-ranked Indians, who had qualified for the Games by securing a silver in the 2019 World Championships in Den Bosch, lost 6-0 to Korea, which had received a first-round bye. The Korean line-up of Je Deok Kim, Woojin Kim, and Jinhyek Oh relied on its skill and consistency to take the first set 59-54.
In the second set, India responded well starting with 9-10-10 and 10-10 but an 8 from Das on the last arrow gave the Koreans 2 more points. The Koreans collected two 59s in straight sets. The Koreans kept their cool and won the third set with ease as they scored 56, even though they did get the first 8 of the game.
The difference between the two sides could be gauged by the fact that the Koreans scored 10s on 13 occasions, while the Indians managed just seven 10s. Jadhav contributed four of them. The Koreans had only one 8, scored in the last round by Woojin, in their 18 shots. The Indians shot four 8s, including three by Atanu.
Against Kazakhstan, the Indians were strong, especially Das who drilled in six perfect 10s to play a crucial role in the team's win. The Kazakhstan troika of Denis Rankin, Ilfat Abdullin, Sanzhar Mussayev showed flashes of brilliance. They took the third set with a one-point margin. Das made all the difference by hitting six perfect 10s including two 10s to make up for some inconsistent show by the Army duo of Rai and Jadhav.
India was let down by Guatemala City World Cup gold medallist Das who failed to repeat his brilliant show earlier against Kazakhstan. He could not find a single 10 in three sets. But in the end, it was enough because the Indian trio had filled in their sheet of 8 and 9 and lacked consistency. Earlier, the Indian team had beaten the Kazakh team of Abdullin Ilfat, Gankin Denis, and Mussayev Sanzhar 6-2 to reach the quarters.
