Aditi Ashok will be one of India’s biggest hopes of winning a medal in the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024. Last time around in Tokyo, Ashok agonizingly missed out on finishing on the podium from once being in a position to win a silver medal. She finished fourth. Back in 2016, Ashok gave a glimpse into the future when she made her debut in the Olympics. In the Tokyo Olympics, she came close to winning India’s first-ever medal in the Olympics, but fell short. She gave herself a chance to win a medal till the 17th hole when Lydia Ko pulled off a birdie to break the tie and push the Indian golfer down to fourth.
Back in June, Ashok booked a ticket to Paris after she was ranked No.41 in the Olympic Golf Rankings (OGR). The youngster will be seen in action when the women’s individual event takes place from August 7 to 10 and has a great chance of making amends. Whether or not she gets a medal will only be known on August 10 when the Women’s Individual Stroke Play Round 4 takes place. Along with Ashok, Diksha Dagar is the only other female golfer in the Paris Olympics. She also broke into the Indian squad after being ranked No.41 in the world.
Gaganjeet, Shubhankar set for Olympic debuts
Gaganjeet Bhullar, Shubhankar Sharma form the men’s contingent along with Diksha and Ashok as the quartet looks to end India’s long wait for an Olympic medal in golf. Shubhankar, ranked 48th in the men’s OGR list, and Gaganjeet, ranked 54th, secured Olympic quotas and will also be making their debuts in the quadrennial event.
The duo came up the ranks after the Indian Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports helped them out through the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). The 27-year-old Shubhankar is a two-time winner on the European Tour and was also Asia’s No.1 player back in 2018. Bhullar, on the other hand, is an 11-time Asian Tour champion and a 2006 Asian Games silver medal winner.
The golf events at the Paris Olympics will take place at Le Golf National, starting on August 1, with 60 men’s and 60 women’s golfers participating. The men’s event will take place from August 1 to 4.
India’s golf squad for Paris Olympics
Gaganjeet Bhullar, Shubhankar Sharma, Aditi Ashok, Diksha Dagar
Golf schedule at Paris Olympics
August 1 – Men’s Individual Stroke Play Round 1
August 2 – Men’s Individual Stroke Play Round 2
August 3 – Men’s Individual Stroke Play Round 3
August 4 – Men’s Individual Stroke Play Round 4
August 7 – Women’s Individual Stroke Play Round 1
August 8 – Women’s Individual Stroke Play Round 2
August 9 – Women’s Individual Stroke Play Round 3
August 10 – Women’s Individual Stroke Play Round 4