The Paris Olympics 2024 is upon us, and the Indian fans have their eyes set on the likes of Neeraj Chopra, Nikhat Zareen, the men’s hockey team, and Antim Panghal, as medal contenders. Shooting is also looked as a sport that could land medals for India. But golf isn’t a part of the discussion at all. This, despite Aditi Ashok coming tantalisingly close to landing a medal in Tokyo 2020, where she finished fourth.
This time around, Aditi is a much-improved version of herself, and so are Dikha Dagar, Gaganjeet Bhullar, and Shubhakar Sharma; India’s entries for Paris Olympics 2024. Having said that, that takes all the pressure off these athletes and gives them a chance to bag a medal for the country.
PGTI President Kapil Dev Optimistic of India’s Chances at Paris Olympics
In an exclusive interaction, asked if Aditi Ashok, or any of the other golfers could win a medal, Kapil Dev made it clear, “It all depends on that one week, and how they play. Golf is somewhat like cricket. If you show good form, you can go on to win. So I just hope that happens for the Indian golfers.”
Also, one of the factors to consider at this Olympics will be, the athletes will be buoyed by the success of the Indian cricket team, that won the T20 World Cup recently. “I hope it does,” said Kapil Dev. “If one sport can compliment the other one, nothing like it. Depends also on the players, as to how much confidence they want to take from our cricketers.”
Does Aditi Ashok Need to be Lucky to Win Medal?
Does luck play a crucial role in a player bagging a medal. ‘Not really’, feels Kapil Dev. He stated that the players need to leave all those thoughts behind while competing. When you want to win, it’s just your mindset that counts,” he concluded.