For an athlete who has spent years chasing medals, there comes a point when the question is no longer just about winning. Does the hunger to compete remain? Is there still the urge to improve, especially when younger athletes are pushing hard to get ahead?
For Atanu Das, the answer is clear. Two decades into his archery career, the Indian recurve archer says the rise of young talent has given him another reason to keep going. Their performances have not made him feel that his time is running out. If anything, they have made him want to compete harder.
“When I see new talent doing so well, sometimes even better than me, then I get the challenge. Okay, let’s compete. I can do better as well,” Das told IndiaToday.in in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the second season of the Archery Premier League (APL) in Hyderabad.
For Das, the next generation is not a reminder to step aside. It is a challenge to keep improving.
“I’ve already completed two decades in archery, and one more decade is left to go,” he said.
NO HURRY TO WIN
At 34, Das has experienced the highs and lows of competing at the highest level. He represented India at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, won men’s recurve team silver at the 2019 World Archery Championships and claimed individual gold at the 2021 World Cup stage in Guatemala City. Later that year, he teamed up with Deepika Kumari to win mixed team gold at the Paris stage.
He was also part of India’s silver-medal-winning men’s recurve team at the 2023 Asian Games.
There is still plenty he wants to achieve. Das wants to become a world champion, reach world No. 1 and win titles at the Asian Games and the Olympics. The difference now is that he is no longer in a hurry to get there.
“I want to win all the titles. I want to be a world champion, world number one, Asian Games champion, Olympic champion,” he said.
Earlier in his career, Das believed that winning a major medal, earning recognition and becoming a familiar face would change his life. Experience has taught him otherwise. The excitement around a big result might fade, but everyday life continues.
He still wants to win an Olympic medal. He simply does not believe one medal will change everything.
That understanding has also shaped how he views defeat. Archery can turn on a single shot, and even a good archer can lose on a particular day. Das knows he cannot control every result. He can, however, control his preparation and how consistently he performs over time.
Winning remains the goal. But he has learnt not to let a single result define his life or career.
LIFE BEYOND ARCHERY
Much of that change in perspective has come from his life away from competition. Becoming a parent with wife Deepika Kumari brought new responsibilities, forcing Das to think beyond training schedules and tournament results.
“When I started, I had fewer responsibilities, and now I have so many. I’m not just an archer anymore,” he said.
His parents are getting older, and he has a child and a family to look after. Balancing those responsibilities with the demands of international sport has taken time.
“After becoming parents, life has changed a lot. Deepika and I struggled a little over the last two years to cope with the new generation and the new selection trials. But now I think we are steady and stable for the next couple of years,” he said.
Das feels more settled now. He is also more comfortable with what sport has given him beyond medals and recognition.
“I like a simple but luxury life. I have everything I want through sport. I have freedom. I can take holidays, watch movies and chill with friends. Nowadays, I have money,” he said.
Fame matters less to him than it once did. It comes and goes, he believes, and cannot guarantee happiness. Money is necessary, but there are limits to what it can provide.
“Money is necessary, and there is no limit to money. But money can buy things, not happiness or time,” he said.
For Das, a good life is about having time for his family, maintaining his routines and enjoying the freedom his career has given him. He does not want the pursuit of sporting success to come at the cost of everything else.
“I think I have chosen this life or this life has chosen me. I don’t know. I don’t care. But I’m happy with my family, my life, my routines, and I’m willing to continue one more decade for sure. Let’s see how it goes, but I’ll continue to play for India for one more decade for sure,” he said.
LEARNING FROM SETBACKS
The path to this point has not been straightforward. Das missed selection for the Paris 2024 Olympics and did not compete on the international outdoor circuit that year. He returned to the senior Indian team in 2025 after changes to his training approach and coaching arrangements.
He has also had to deal with injury. A minor injury kept him out of the Asian Games, but the time away helped him reflect on his performances and work out what needed to change.
Das says he has returned feeling stronger, more peaceful and more settled. He has also analysed difficult periods with a psychologist, learning to understand his responses to pressure and setbacks.
Nobody handed him a formula for balancing sport and personal life. It came with experience, through wins, losses and the process of figuring out what works for him.
Self-care is now part of that process. Das puts himself first, followed by his family and friends. Training remains central to his day, but he also makes time for the gym, reading and playing games.
Looking after himself helps him deal with the demands around him. It also helps him return to training with a clearer head.
His approach to failure has changed as well. He understands that even good archers can lose because of a poor decision or a mistake on the day. Rather than getting caught up in an individual result, he focuses on maintaining his level over a longer period.
That does not mean he has become less ambitious. The younger archers coming through continue to challenge him, and he welcomes it. Their progress reminds him that there is always more to learn, regardless of how many years he has spent in the sport.
THE OLYMPIC DREAM REMAINS
The Olympics remain the biggest target in Das’s career. He wants to win a medal for India, but he is approaching that ambition differently now.
Instead of worrying about what a major tournament might mean for his career, he concentrates on the work required to get there. His routine, he says, should not change simply because the event is bigger.
“The Olympics is the highest tournament. I want to participate and win a medal for the country,” he said.
For Das, the job is to prepare well every day, whether he is competing at the Olympics, the Archery Premier League or a national tournament.
“My routine will stay the same, and I’ll try to do my best every day,” he said.
It is a simple approach, built through years of competing and learning. The biggest events still matter, but preparation happens long before an archer steps onto the Olympic stage.
The rise of young archers has also raised the level of competition in India. For an experienced athlete, that means there is no room for complacency. A place at the top has to be earned again and again.
Das seems to enjoy that challenge. He does not see the next generation as a reason to move on. Their performances have made him want to keep testing himself, and he believes he still has another decade to give Indian archery.
He has plenty left to chase: an Olympic medal, a world title and the other honours that have so far eluded him. But he is no longer treating those goals as deadlines.
For now, the plan is to keep training, keep competing and keep learning. The young archers may be the future of Indian archery, but they are also helping keep Das’s own competitive fire alive.
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