Asian Games 2023: Atanu Das set to tackle recurve events armed with new mentality and renewed vigour

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India's archery contingent -- both recurve and compound -- will begin their Asian Games 2023 journey on Sunday but for one archer in particular, this will be a special moment.

Atanu Das has long been touted to be India's next big hope in the sport but the last two years were not the best professionally. A disappointing Tokyo Olympics was followed by the 31-year-old not even making the cut for any of the major events last year.

A period of reflection spent away from the sport and the feeling of fatherhood has rekindled the lost fire inside the recurve archer and he is now gunning for his maiden Asian Games medal.

"The post-Tokyo Olympics period was difficult for sure. I had prepared really well and exiting without a medal broke something inside me. The negativity got to me and I decided to focus on my mental well-being and spent more than two months just travelling and trying to calm myself.

"It has been a difficult journey back to where I belong and the fact that I became a father last December has helped me mentally and I now no longer worry about external factors. I'm content with myself and I just want to enjoy and give my best and leave the rest up to fate. There is no point in worrying about things I cannot control," Atanu Das told myKhel before the archery contingent left for the Asian Games 2023.

There have been offshoots of progress, with his first National Games gold late last year and a silver in the team event at the Archery World Cup Stage 4 in Paris in August this year. But the current World No 60 is refusing to be drawn into medal talks at this stage and just wants to focus on the performance.

"We tend to only focus on medals. That leads to unnecessary pressure, and that is something I'm trying to avoid. My plan is to give it my all and not worry about what might happen. I've prepared to the best of my abilities and my form is good. That is all I'm thinking about."

For the first time, in fact in a long time, Das will be competing in a multi-sport event on his own without his wife and former World No. 1 Deepika Kumari by his side. Being a new father, and staying away from family is difficult but the Baranagar-born athlete is getting a lot of help from his better half.

"Deepika supports me a lot. She tries to help me when I'm down and we keep talking and she keeps giving me motivation. My daughter misses me and my wife keeps sending updates from home, and that gives me a lot of strength."

India's only archery individual medal at the Asian Games came courtesy of Tarundeep Rai 13 years ago. 2010 was also the last time a medal arrived in the recurve section. India's men's team at the Asian Games 2023 consists of Atanu Das, along with Dhiraj Bommadevara, who is enjoying a breakthrough year at this level, Mrinal Chauhan and Tushar Shelke.

There are six quota places on offer for the Paris 2024 Olympics, two finalists from both men's and women's individual sections, and the winners of the mixed team event. Will this be India's year in archery at the Asian Games 2023? We will find out from October 1st onwards.