Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das on Monday won a bronze medal in the mixed team recurve at the Asian Archery Championships.
The couple exchanged rings in an engagement ceremony in Ranchi on Monday and will tie the knot next year.
Das failed to score a 10 in the fifth set and slipped to the red-circle for an 8, which proved costly, as home favourite Takaharu Furukawa sealed the issue by a solitary point margin in the decider.
Atanu Das provided the silver lining on another disappointing day for Indians at the Rio Olympics, entering the pre-quarter-finals of the Individual Recurve event on Tuesday.
Four-time Olympian Deepika Kumari, along with Atanu Das and Abhishek Verma, failed to secure a spot in India's archery squad for the Asian Games in Japan after a selection trial. Teenagers Kirti Sharma and Kumkum Mohod emerged as notable gainers in the women's recurve section.
Indian archery faces poor planning and the absence of a full-time foreign coach as they prepare for the World Cup Stage 2 in Shanghai, raising concerns ahead of the Asian Games.
Atanu opened up about how he honed his skills during the first lockdown when sporting action was put to a grinding halt
The Indian compound women's archery team won gold at the Archery World Cup Stage 1.
The Indian women's compound team won gold at the Archery World Cup Stage 1, while the recurve archers struggled.
Simranjeet Kaur and Sahil Jadhav emerged as India's standout performers at the Archery World Cup Stage 2 in Shanghai, both advancing to the semifinals in their respective recurve and compound sections.
Indian compound men's and women's archery teams faced disappointment at Stage 2 of the Archery World Cup in Shanghai, failing to secure a podium finish. Recurve archers showed signs of recovery, but the compound teams' struggles raise concerns ahead of the Asian Games.
Power of love helps archer Atanu Das defeat 2012 champion Oh.
Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das who had been engaged since 2018, zeroed in on June 30, knowing that the situation will be eased by September,
Top archers to compete for six franchises; Jyoti, Deepika, Dhiraj top Indians in inaugural APL
Atanu Das, competing as a neutral athlete under the World Archery flag due to the suspension of the Indian federation, beat Jin Hayek Oh of Korea in the shoot-off match for the bronze medal.
The Shanghai Archery World Cup last month marked the emergence of Parth Salunkhe, and the 21-year-old former youth world champion will look to shine again
Deepika, Dhiraj lead India's charge in Asian Archery Championship
The Indian men's recurve team produced its most stirring performance in recent memory to stun heavyweights South Korea in a nerve-wracking shoot-off to clinch its first Asian Archery Championships gold in 18 years, in Dhaka, on Friday.
Women's recurve team knocked out
India's men's and women's recurve archery teams bowed out of medal contention at the World Cup Stage 2 in Shanghai on Thursday, the men finishing fourth and the women exiting in the pre-quarter-finals.
Indian archer Atanu Das expressed disappointment at being denied the chance to play the mixed team event with his world No. 1 wife Deepika Kumari, whom he credited for his stunning victory over two-time Olympic champion Oh Jin Hyek in the men's individual even at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, Dhiraj was also part of the Indian trio alongside veterans Tarundeep Rai and Atanu Das that settled for silver after a 1-5 loss to China in the team final.
Yashdeep stuns Koreans, Anshika impresses as India take second spot in recurve
Showing superb control, Lim chose to slow the tempo in the second set but still outscored Gatha, who slipped to two 8s and a 9.
India's archers endured a night of chaos when their return to the country from Dhaka after the Asian Championships was delayed by a day due to a cancelled flight.
Deepika Kumari is not contemplating retirement just yet and is instead focusing on building mental strength to handle high-pressure situations, with an eye on a final hurrah at the Los Angeles Games.
The Indian archers were picked based on world rankings as well as Archery Association of India's recent selection trials.
India's compound mixed team of Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Rishabh Yadav secured a spot in the final at the Archery World Cup Stage 1, guaranteeing a third medal for the country.
The recurve events saw a mixed day for India.
Masks, sanitisers and strict social distancing measures would be in place when top Indian archers Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das tie the knot at Morabadi in Ranchi on Tuesday. Getting hitched amid the COVID-19 pandemic to make use of the "free time", the duo's invitation cards carry small notes that request the guests to adhere to the government's COVID-19 guidelines.
Deepika, world number seven, and the 19th ranked Atanu were favourites against the Mongolians.
'Yes, of course, there is little expectation on the results, but I am more focussed on my performance rather than the outcome because, in sports, anything can happen.'
In pursuit of an elusive Olympic medal for India in archery, power couple Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das have left their 11-month-old daughter behind to find lost form and hone their skills under the legendary coach Kim Hyung-Tak, at a South Korean countryside.
India settle for silver in men's recurve team event at Archery World Cup Stage 1
Das saw off a tough challenge from Chinese Taipei's Deng Yu-Cheng earlier in the day.
Atanu Das failed to make the most of opportunities that came his way in his men's individual recurve pre-quarter-final and bowed out of contention, as Indian archers drew a blank at the Rio Olympics, on Friday.
India's recurve archers once again flattered to deceive at the World Championships as the women's team lost to South Korea in the bronze medal play-off.
Compound mixed team in bronze play-off, Deepika, Salunkhe in recurve individual semis
There will be no South Korean participation in the inaugural Archery Premier League, denying Indian archers a chance to "test" themselves against their biggest nemesis in the world's first-ever franchise competition in the sport.
The Archery Association of India (AAI) on Sunday selected Atanu Das to represent the country in the men's recurve event at the Rio Olympics after conducting trials in Bengaluru.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances