Asian Games: I wish I could have won gold, says Aditi Ashok after winning silver | Asian-games News

At 18 years and four months, India’s Aditi Ashok was the youngest golfer at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Seven years later on Sunday, she won the silver medal in the Asian Games in Hangzhou.For the 25-year-old, who took up the sport at six and turned professional in 2016, the silver medal was a consolation because gold was undoubtedly on the offering.
“I wish I could have won a gold, but maybe in a week or two, this silver will feel better,” she admitted in a chat with The Indian Express.
But looking at the silver lining, she said that after finishing fourth at the Tokyo Olympics, ending up in the second spot here is a positive. “Looking at the tournament individually, I could have done way better,” Ashok said.
Her performance on the final day was a stark contrast to her first three rounds, where she had played brilliantly. However, Ashok struggled with her game on the last day as Thailand’s Arpichaya Yubol eclipsed her to the yellow metal.
Hangzhou: India’s Aditi Ashok competes in the Women’s Individual Golf Round 4 at the 19th Asian Games, in Hangzhou, China. (PTI Photo)
Aditi carded a dismal five-over 77 and missed several chances that would have helped her extend her lead. She also made a few costly makes, such as a double bogey, to finish with a four-day aggregate of 17-under 271
“At 16, I felt I was in it. It was just one or two shots in the lead, but that one shot threw me out. When you hit the water, there’s no way of returning from it. That was definitely where it unravelled,” she said while explaining where it all went wrong.
But going into the last day, was there some pressure or a change in mindset? “I was just trying to keep it in play or stay in position, but somehow I missed many drives. I couldn’t fix it or figure it out.
“That was the only thing that put me out of it. I don’t think my mindset changed as much. Till the 16th, I was fine, and I was playing okay. It’s just the double bogey that got me out of it,” she explained.
Ashok’s poor performance on the final day doesn’t take away from her overall achievement at the Asiad. After all, she became the first Indian woman to win a medal in golf at the games. She played excellent golf over the first three rounds; her silver medal is a testament to her talent and hard work.
“I had three good rounds and wish I had a better final round but to be the first Indian woman golfer to win a medal for my country is a special feeling,” she said from Hangzhou when asked about her feelings of becoming a part of hory books.
However, it is important to understand why Ashok struggled on the final day. There are a few possible explanations. One possibility is that she was putting too much pressure on herself. She knew she had a good chance to win gold, and she may have tried too hard to close the tournament.
“I was thinking of winning the tournament and the goal from the first day was to win gold. I was building a good tournament for myself. I kept improving day day, and yesterday was a great day for me. Winning was always on my mind. Today was just a bad day. My mindset did not affect the outcome. Maybe It was just that I shot a 11 under or 5 over which I don’t think I have done all season. I guess it just had to happen today.”
Hangzhou: India’s silver medal Aditi Ashok poses with Thailand’s gold medal Arpichaya Yubol during the presentation ceremony of the Women’s Individual Golf Round 4 event at the 19th Asian Games, in Hangzhou, China. (PTI Photo)
“I wouldn’t say there was any added pressure. I had good rounds especially a great third round of 61 but a little disappointed with my final round,” she was quick to point out.
Another possibility is that fatigue factor as Ashok had played a lot of golf in the weeks leading up to the Asian Games, and she may have felt the physical and mental effects of that.
“It’s been the same schedule the last four days, same sleeping. It was just a bad day,” she said before adding, “Yea, I am not going to lie. It wasn’t easy. The way your mind works is when you are behind, you are always thinking of the good stuff you can do to catch up. But when you are leading, I don’t know if it’s good or not, but the mind looks at what can go wrong. Not that that’s what happened. I just played badly, too. It wasn’t easy knowing that I must play good or bad to win the tournament.”
Ashok who had a 7 shot lead going into the last round admitted that she could have won the gold. “It was definitely a golden loss for me. I was leading six or seven. Seven is worse. Definitely, anybody would see it as a loss, and it was my tournament to lose, and I basically did that,” said Ashok.
In Rio 2016, it was her father Ashok Gudlamani, who was her caddie and then her mother caddied for her at the Olympics. But they were not present this time and she had to carry a local caddie. “Local caddies are the same for everybody. Generally, you can learn from caddies, but it was the same for everyone,” she explained.
But she did miss her parents.
“Yes, it would’ve been great having either of them on my bag. I was doing great for the most part, just that my last round could’ve been better,” she said.
Helping golf flourish in India
Aditi, an alumnus of The Frank Anthony Public School in Bengaluru, hopes that her exploits will help the game of golf to flourish in India. “I hope my game will now help the sport of golf in India to grow and inspire more juniors to take it up.”
Despite being the centre of attraction during the Olympics and the Asiad, the three-time national junior champion hasn’t let the fame and attention affect her in any way. Instead, she believes this attention will help golf become more popular. “It was good that many people worldwide covered me, and many Indians watched me play last week. I firmly believe golf in India will only improve from here on,” said Ashok.Most Read
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Ashok’s silver medal at the Asian Games is a significant milestone for Indian golf. It is a sign that the country is producing world-class golfers who can compete with the best in the world.
Ashok’s achievement is also an inspiration to young golfers in India. It shows that anything is possible if you set your mind to it and work hard.

When asked about the upcoming golfers in the country, she opined that the next-gen is getting better with results and hitting them better. “The young generation, with their talent, are all hitting it further. It wasn’t the case when I was growing up. The talent is pretty deep, and these tournaments can be a great experience for them. Playing in such fields and travelling can help them,” she signed off.