Qualifying for the Olympics is the target, reveals Diksha Dagar

The teenage golfer is currently practicing at home amidst the nationwide lockdown.

With the world already coming at a standstill and the Olympics being postponed to 2021, teenage Indian golfer Diksha Dagar has kept her focus intact during these tough times. Despite the nationwide lockdown, she has been under the watchful eyes of her father, Col. Narinder Dagar, who prepares the fitness and training regime for the 19-year-old prodigy.

“My dad has set up the practice facilities and I am taking full advantage of it. Apart from the fitness routine, I am hitting a few balls and concentrating on my putting skills. Apart from that, I do yoga and meditation," Diksha Dagar told TOI.

With her spare time in the evening, she is found playing cricket or football with her brother Yogesh. However, neighbours would find a young girl, wearing a mask, practising in full swing.

"The mask is for safety because she is in the yard, there is a certain fear that the virus may be airborne also,” her father explains.

With sportspersons, it is always about their daily regime and keeping themselves fit for action. Despite the struggle currently, Diksha Dagar is aiming to reach the Olympics in Tokyo next year. Also, there is a sudden hiatus on earnings for the athletes but for the Dagars, the goal is important as she rushed to the scene only to fulfil that goal and not for the monetary side of it. "That is the target," highlights the young golfer.

The Rohtak-born golfer has recently bagged a sponsor in Hero, while a slot in the Olympics is still not confirmed for the World no. 317 and her family is putting their confidence in their young daughter.

"She skipped her Class 12 exams purely because of this ambition. But frankly, her medal-winning prospects weren’t that high,” the colonel explained.

“And although she has to confirm her place first, because of the postponement, I believe a year will bring more maturity. She can also build up her confidence playing with top players regularly on the Ladies European Tour. She was young when she played the Asian Games but now she can be as good as the girls winning gold and silver," he added.

Diksha Dagar had a busy year before the coronavirus pandemic bringing the world to a standstill, where she overcame her hearing problems and won the SA Women’s Open in her fourth start on the Ladies European Tour. However, she had to cancel the tickets to the Red Coast for the inaugural Saudi ladies international, which was cancelled due to the pandemic.