India's Anirban Lahiri, playing in his second Olympics, got off to a solid start, carding a 4-under 67 in the first round and was placed tied 8th at the weather-hit Games' golf competition, at the Kasumigaseki Country Club in Tokyo, on Thursday.
Golf has plenty of opportunity to grow in India where cricket has almost reached its peak, said top ranking golfer and Asian Tour Player of the Year, Jyoti Randhawa.
'Even in PlayStation games, he was keen to win.'
Check out how India's athletes fared on Day 7, Friday, August 2, 2024:
Sports Ministry confirms Satwik, Chirag for Khel Ratna, Shami and 25 others for Arjuna award
As per the Ministry sources, a special request was made by the BCCI to the sports ministry to include Shami's name as he didn't originally feature in the list of the country's second-highest sporting honour.
Lauding India's presence in the world of golf, Tiger Woods today said that Anirban Lahiri can make the game 'explode' in the Indian market by winning a medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
With the men's squash team clinching a silver medal after losing to Malaysia in the final, India ended their campaign at the 2nd Asian Youth Games in Nanjing at the 10th spot and with an impressive tally of 14 medals (3 gold, 4 silver and 7 bronze).
Already twice a winner this season on the European Tour, the 21-year-old proved himself equally at home among the most elite of company at the World Golf Championships.
As the curtains come down at the Tokyo Olympics, here's a glance at the medallists and those who came within touching distance of glory.
India's Anirban Lahiri has struggled with his game over the past 18 months on the PGA Tour and the 32-year-old says golf's shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic has given him the opportunity to reset. Lahiri finished 178th on the FedExCup points list at the end of last season and needed to regain his Tour card through the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, which serves as an avenue to earn membership of the lucrative US based circuit.
Rashid Khan is ranked inside top 60 in the Olympic Golf Qualification Rankings -- the cut-off for Olympics -- but with the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down all events globally, including India, he too has been confined to home.
Diksha, who was born with a hearing impairment, will now have the unique honour of having represented India at both the Deaf Olympics in 2017, where she finished second for a silver medal, and the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
The haul of 64 medals at the Commonwealth Games, in July-August, which included 15 gold, should act as the ideal springboard for the Indian contingent to better its medal tally at Guangzhou, China, four years ago.
Gaganjeet Bhullar and Anirban Lahiri, who teamed up to grab a silver medal five years ago at the Asian Games in Doha, will come together again to try and grab a berth in the Omega Mission Hills Golf World Cup later this year.
The extension of qualifying period gives, at least half a dozen others among Indian men and possibly one woman, a chance to bid for a place in the Games.
Local favourite SSP Chowrasia lifted his third Asian Tour title on Sunday, coolly rolling in a 15-foot birdie putt to prevail in a three-way playoff at the Delhi Golf Club.
Udayan Mane on Tuesday qualified for his maiden Olympic Games, becoming the second Indian male golfer after Anirban Lahiri to make it to the mega-event, starting in Tokyo from July 23.
Shiv Kapur joined the chorus in showering praise on young Shubhankar Sharma, describing him as an 'exceptional talent' with maturity beyond his age.
Leading the Asian challenge after the first day was Korea's Byeong Hun An, who celebrated his return to the Tournament with a battling two-under 70 to share the ninth place.
Indian golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar on Monday moved up to fourth in the latest Order of Merit after his fifth Asian Tour victory at the Indonesia Open.
Former pace ace Kapil Dev says there are enough fast bowlers to win India a match if the top guys are unavailable.
After beating adversity to become a champion swimmer, Rehan Poncha now wants to make it big in golf and he hopes to play amateur qualifiers from next year before turning professional.
Paris is, and will continue to be, dogged by the usual gripes about staging the greatest show on earth.
Ankita Raina and top seeds men's doubles pair of Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan assured India of at least a couple of bronze medals in the tennis competition by progressing to the semifinals at the Asian Games, in Palembang, on Wednesday.
Top golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar lodged a complaint against Emirates Airlines for delaying his bags, which he said affected his game. Jehangir Gai tells us what happened next.
Gaganjeet Bhullar turned in yet another steady round of three-under 69 to overturn a six-shot deficit into a one-shot lead on a blustery day at the Fiji International.
Bhullar started from the back nine and birdied the 11th, dropped just one bogey on Par-5 14th and he birdied 15th and 17th to turn in 2-under 33. On the second nine, he birdied his closing holes eighth and ninth.
The 22-year-old Indian was steady throughout Sunday just as she had been all week. Trichat finished with a total of 9-under and was sole second while Frenchwoman Celine Herbin (69-72-67) was third at 8-under.
India's Anirban Lahiri is tied sixth at the end of the first round in the men's golf competition at the 15th Asian Games.
Virat Kohli? M C Mary Kom? Neeraj Chopra?
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Wednesday.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday
Rio Paralympcs silver medallist remains upset over being ignored for Khel Ratna this year and feels exception should have been made by the awards committee, like it had done in 2016.
Balbir Singh Jr died at the age of 88
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Friday
Indian golfer Shiv Kapur collapsed in the final round and signed a disappointing card of three-over 73 to finish tied 12th after being in a position of contention at the $1.3 million Hong Kong Open in Hong Kong on Sunday.
India cricket captain Virat Kohli and weightlifter Mirabai Chanu were on Monday recommended for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna by the awards selection committee.
The two are leading with 198 each, a 12-under for three rounds, after the penultimate round of the MCG Open Golf championship.
The two-day event was hit by heavy rains and was reduced from 36 to 18 holes.
