Things You Didn’t Know About The Indian Golfer, Diksha Dagar
Indian golfer, Diksha Dagar will participate in the Women’s Individual Stroke Play (Round 4) at the Paris Olympics 2024. Dagar is one of the last hopes for India to clinch a medal at the Paris Olympics 2024. She would be accompanied by another Indian, Aditi Ashok during the event. Read who is Aditi Ashok and why is she rated so high here. Coming back to Diksha Dagar, she is a rising star in the sport of golf and has been making waves recently. Here is a fact file which might help you know Diksha Dagar more. FACT FILE – DIKSHA DAGAR SR. NO FACT 1 Born deaf; began wearing hearing aids at age 6; later had a cochlear implant fitted 2 Started playing golf at age 7, alongside her brother Yogesh Dagar, who is also profoundly deaf 3 Initially coached by her father, Colonel Narinder Dagar, a former scratch golfer and Indian Army officer 4 Inspirational role models: Novak Djokovic and Tiger Woods 5 Represented India at the Espirito Santo Trophy in 2016 and 2018 6 At 17, won her first professional event at the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour in 2018; also won the Singapore Ladies Amateur Open 7 Won a silver medal at the 2017 Summer Deaflympics; first Indian to win a Deaflympic medal in golf; won gold at the 2021 Deaflympics 8 Competed for India at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia 9 Turned professional in early 2019 10 At 18, became the second Indian woman to win on the Ladies European Tour; won the 2019 South African Open 11 Member of the winning team in the 2021 Aramco Team Series – London, alongside Olivia Cowan, Sarina Schmidt, and Andrew Kelsey 12 Olympic appearances: Tokyo 2020 (due to South African Paula Reto’s withdrawal) and Paris 2024 13 Nominated for the Arjuna Award in 2023, India’s second-highest sporting honor India would be banking Diksha Dagar as she sets her target to bag a medal and make India proud. The Sportz Planet Desk,Atharva Shetye
Paris 2024: Who Is Aditi Ashok and Why Is She Rated So High?
Searches for “golf rules” suddenly spiked in the lead-up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in India, inspired by an unheralded golfer—Aditi Ashok’s—who represented India at the event and was 178th in world standings. The competition was held on the prestigious Kasumigaseki Country Club’s East Course. Aditi added a bit of sensational news with a scorching start in the Olympic golf tournament. A Thrilling Battle on the Course The course par was 71–the number of strokes a good golfer is expected to take to complete the course. In round one, Aditi returned a brilliant 67 to be level with world number one Nelly Korda of the United States. The second round was just a continuum of great performance by Aditi as she hiked her score to 66, but Korda pulled clear with a great 62 to leave Aditi in second position alongside two other players. Near-Miss and Heartbreak on the Final Day The third round became even more absorbing as Korda dropped behind to let Aditi close the gap and establish her position at second position. However, on the final day, Aditi struggled for under-par scores in the first four holes and lost out to Lydia Ko, the silver medallist from Rio 2016. Despite a fine recovery with birdies—those magical one-stroke-under-par—Aditi just missed the medal podium by a whisker. The near-miss at the 17th – where the ball grazed the edge – was dear as Korda sewed up the gold, and Japan’s Mone Inami defeated Ko in a play-off for silver. Aditi’s Rise in 2023 It has been three years since Aditi Ashok reworked her game and rose as one of the fearsome competitors on the global golf circuit. She worked significantly on driving distances to get closer to the hole off the tee. The best year was 2023 when she had two wins, two seconds, one third and four more top-10 finishes. She finished the year at 42nd in world rankings, touching a career-best of 39th in early 2024. Challenges in 2024 and the Way Forward The 2024 season has been anything but spectacular for Aditi. She has labored to finish in the top 10 in 15 events and has seen her ranking slide to 60th. But she is still in pursuit of that elusive victory in a golf major. She did create history at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games when she won a silver medal for India, though she lost out on gold after squandering a seven-stroke lead. Aditi’s Quest for Glory At Paris 2024 While Aditi Ashok may not be among the top favorites based on statistics for Paris 2024, she certainly stands out to be one of the most powerful contenders to stand on the podium. One of her strengths is a great short game. Olympic fields are typically weaker than professional events because of the limits on the number of golfers each country can send. The twenty-six-year-old Aditi now proved that she could match the very best in the world and was reflective of her outing in a 2023 event where she finished ahead of Korda, who still is the world number one. Aditi’s Medal Hopes The more that Aditi Ashok replicates the strong start she made at Tokyo 2020, the more she can stay within medal contention at Paris 2024. Equipped with talent and determination alike, she stands firmly level with others in the field and all of India will no doubt be watching keenly as she takes to the course in hope of an historic Olympic finish. The Sportz Planet Desk,Atharva Shetye
Paris 2024: India’s Last Medal Hope on Day 15
All eyes are now on India’s athletes as the nation prays that one of its breeders shines to add to the medal count at Paris Olympics 2024. With India currently at 69 with five bronze and a silver, this shifts focus to the last glimpse of chances in securing more honours. Here’s what India would be having on its plate today at the Paris Olympics 2024. Wrestling: Reetika Hooda’s Decisive Bout In wrestling, Reetika Hooda was the last Indian still in the fray for a medal from the sport. Hooda will be competing in the women’s 76 kg freestyle category and opening her campaign against Bernadett Nagy of Hungary. Bernadett Nagy herself is no ordinary wrestler, having twice finished as the European Championships’ bronze medalist. This presents a big challenge to her. A win for Hooda will not only assure her a passage to the next round but may well set up a meeting with the top-seeded Aiperi Medet Kyzy of Kyrgyzstan. Golf: Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar in Medal Quest Next in line will be golfers Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar, who will feature in the Women’s Individual Final. As far as the potential of these players is concerned, both are competent enough to net a podium finish and improve India’s position at the medals table. The Paris Olympics 2024 is heating up and India is holding its bated breath, hoping its campaign at the Games comes out triumphantly at the end. The Sportz Planet Desk,Atharva Shetye
