Indian women did well at Rio Olympics, that’s my motivation for Tokyo, says golfer Aditi Ashok | Tokyo Olympics News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: At the Rio Olympics in 2016, it was the women who ensured India didn’t return from Brazil empty-handed. PV Sindhu’s badminton silver and Sakshi Malik’s bronze in wrestling added to the contribution of women in India’s Olympic history, since former weightlifter Karnam Malleswari’s bronze broke the glass ceiling at Sydney in 2000.
Aditi Ashok, India’s lone golfer in the women’s field at the Tokyo Olympics, wants to take inspiration from Sakshi and Sindhu’s feats in Rio.
“The women did well in Rio and that is a motivating factor for me to do well this time in Tokyo,” said Aditi, in her opening comment while replying to TimesofIndia.com from the US.

Aditi booked a ticket to Tokyo after she was placed world No. 45 among the top 60 golfers. The 23-year-old wants to use this opportunity to the fullest, so that it earns more recognition for golf in the country.
“I think being a woman golfer at the Olympics is a great way to make the game popular to the masses, said Aditi, who plays on the LPGA and LET tours since turning professional in 2016. “Golf isn’t as popular in India, so playing on the world’s biggest stage will definitely help the growth of the sport.”
At Rio, she was just 18 and the youngest in the field there; and the Bengaluru girl is quick to make a point about what she learnt from the Games five years ago.
“The experience at Rio in general remains at the back of my mind,” Aditi told TimesofIndia.com, before adding a note about her experience as a professional golfer.
“The experience of playing on LPGA (tour) for the last five years is invaluable and I think playing more tournaments has always helped my performance historically. So definitely playing on LPGA before the Olympics will help me get into the groove,” said the 23 year old, who won the Ladies British Amateur Stroke Play Championship in 2015 before stepping onto the professional greens.

(At the Rio Olympics, the then 18-year-old Aditi was the youngest in the women’s field – Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
Another significant factor coming to Aditi’s aid in Tokyo could be the experience of playing amid the Covid-19 restrictions in place.
The number of cases in Tokyo has been rising again with just over two weeks before the Olympics. It may lead to stricter pandemic protocols, restricting the movement of athletes further.
Aditi said she is well versed with it now.
“I have played in at least 10-15 tournaments with Covid restrictions, so I’m used to it by now and know how to manage myself,” said Aditi, who shot to fame by winning the 2016 Hero Women’s Indian Open.
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“My game in general has been getting better (over) the past few weeks. Also it will be hot in Tokyo, so maybe being used to the warm weather will help.”