During the Asian Games 2023, India's recurve mixed pair, Atanu Das and Ankita Bhakat, experienced a challenging turn of events. Despite holding a 4-2 lead, they were bested in a shoot-off by the Indonesian team, resulting in their quarterfinal exit.
The Indian duo faced defeat against Indonesia's Riau Ega Agata Salsabilla and Diananda Choirunisa, with a scoreline of 4-5 (36-35, 35-36, 38-35, 34-40) (19-20).
Unlike the compound team of Deotale-Jyothi, the coordination between Das and Ankita seemed lacking, leading to a less-than-stellar performance.
When a draw was all that was needed to win the fourth set, the Indian team couldn't hold their ground against the Indonesians, who managed perfect 10s to even the score.
In the decisive shoot-off, while the Indonesian pair scored two perfect 10s, Ankita matched their performance. Yet, Das, having participated in two Olympics, fell short by a point, marking the end of India's journey in this category.
The focus for India in the recurve segment now shifts to the men's and women's team events scheduled for Friday.
In another highlight, India achieved a significant feat at the Asian Games by bagging its 71st medal, breaking its previous record of 70 medals set at the 2018 Jakarta Games. The nation also equalled its prior record of 16 gold medals from four years ago.
Jyothi and Ojas were instrumental in India's commendable performance, clinching a gold medal. They held a slight edge over their competitors with scores of 40-39 after the first end and 80-79 after the second. However, a third-end score of 9 by Ojas saw a brief shift in momentum.
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