THE GIRL WHO WON MORE THAN A GOLD MEDAL

“You don’t get what you deserve, but only what you work for,” she told the press.

Nevertheless this 23-year-old deserved it. She also worked for it. Yet, a little bit of fate and a few inches offset snatched her an opportunity to climb the podium in the Tokyo Olympics 2021. Yes, how can we forget that heartbroken smile on our Bangalore girl, Aditi Ashok’s face when she missed that final birdie. 

On Day 4 of the Women’s Individual Golf Finals, in the beautiful course of Saitama, Aditi started with some stunning shots. She was at number 3, but as she aimed to go up the ladder of medals, rain decided to play spoilsport. The little drops of water from heaven were heavy enough to pull her down from the podium, and harsh enough to inflict heartbreaks across our nation.

The fact that it rained was not the actual problem. The fact that it stopped was. For once, the rain could have helped us, unlike Cricket World Cup 2019 or World Test Championship 2021. Had the rain poured down on day 4 and 5 in Tokyo, Aditi would have been awarded a silver medal, for she was the second best till Round 3. But the rain stopped, and so did the chance for us to win a medal in Golf this year.

But before we look at Aditi dominating the Tokyo golf course, let’s zoom out to see the obstacles she swung into successes.

Born on the 28th of March, 1998, Aditi Ashok fell “in love at first sight” with Golf at the age of 5. The graceful swings, the careful pushes and the luscious golf courses released butterflies in her stomach. Ever since that moment, Golf became a part of her life. She was what many in the world would call “a prodigy” - coming out victorious in her first professional event at the age of 13. And that kick started her accolade filled journey. Her parents wholeheartedly supported her natural talent, not just by mere encouragement and motivation from the stands, but by actually being that person she wanted by her side. In Golf, a Caddie is someone who carries the golf clubs, bags, and also provides tips, guidance and moral support to the golfer. And guess what, her father and mother were her caddies in the 2016 and 2021 Olympics respectively. No wonder she is always motivated and filled with confidence.

She won the National Junior Championship consecutively in 2012 and 2013. Just when everyone thought she had achieved maximum success, her success started to grow exponentially. 2014 was a remarkable year for her, as she won both the Junior and the Senior Championships, transitioning into the professional golfer the world knows right now.
She was the only Indian golfer in both the Youth Olympics and Asian Games of 2014, representing the nation with pride. She became the youngest and first Indian to win the Lalla Aicha Tour School and secured her Ladies European Tour card for the 2016 season.

Fast forward to Olympics 2016, the world was watching keenly, for Golf was reintroduced into the Olympics after 112 years, after the two tries in 1900 and 1904 Olympics. India was struggling to find a representative for Women’s Golf and Aditi was looking for more platforms to express herself and that is where Talent met Opportunity. She was selected as the lone woman golfer from India, and finished at a decent 41st place. Don’t let the final rank fool you, because she was in the top 10 rankings up until the second round there, after which she slid down the list. But she learnt the dynamics of big event pressures. And she grew.

May 2020 had brought upon a whole different challenge for Aditi. And for once, it was not on a golf course, but within herself. She joined the list with millions of other COVID19 affected people. All through the next two months, she had to battle the deadly virus. And just as she swings the balls far from her, she managed to swing this “golf ball resembling microbe” far away from her, and successfully recover. But the effects lingered post the recovery too, for the virus had sapped so much of her strength that she lost around 15 meters in her usual swings.

As she tried getting back on track, with relentless practice sessions, something boosted her - the Olympic Schedule was announced and she had her eyes set on the podium. Day in and day out she practiced hard - swing, drive, put, repeat. And she entered Tokyo as the 200th ranked golfer in the World Golf Rankings, with odds stacked against her and little expectation of a medal. Then she did what she does best, prove the critics wrong. She aced through the first 3 rounds by constantly maintaining her spot in the top 3, in a pool filled with 19 out of the top 20 golfers of the world. Finally, on the last day, she just wasn’t able to finish it off high and ended up 4th. The entire nation was shell shocked, for the lionhearted golfer from Bangalore, came tantalizingly close to winning the first ever golf medal for India.

Nevertheless, she won. She won hearts. She won confidence. She won over her own doubts. And more than anything, she won the battle against gender stereotypes in Indian sports. In short, she won something equivalent to a Platinum medal - for a gold, silver or bronze would have been just for her. Now she has kindled millions of spirits, and it’s so much more worth than any gold we could win. At a tender age of 23, she stands tall as an inspiration to, all those who follow golf as their passion, all the girls wishing to see a medal in their neck and all the Indians who wish to conquer the odds, not just in sports, but also in life.

As the famous quote goes, “The most important shot in golf is the next one”, we wish Aditi Ashok all the success in her future endeavors. Remember readers, all it takes is self-confidence, relentless hard work and a ‘never quitting attitude’ for one to succeed in sports and life.