India's teenage golfer Aditi Ashok will look to add another fine chapter of her nascent career when she tees off at the Olympic Games here on Wednesday.
Aditi, 18, has been a sensation ever since she won the qualifying finals to earn a full card on the Ladies European Tour (LET). And she's done well to hold herself in the big league.
Aditi will play alongside Spain's Carlot Ciganda and Russian Maria Merchenova.
The stage as big as Olympics can disrupt any sportsperson's nerves and Aditi's biggest challenge could well be not to get overawed by the environment.
Her experience -- having represented India at the Asian Youth Games in 2013, Youth Olympic Games in 2014, and Asian Games in 2014 -- will come in handy.
The Bengaluru golfer turned pro only early in 2016 as the full member of LET. At Rio, she will come across some of the most illustrious members of the tour. But she will be confident on her Olympics debut as she has already notched up an impressive list of credentials.
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What has worked for Aditi so far is her consistency. Of the 12 professional events she has competed in so far, Aditi has managed to make the cut in 11 while going on to win two.
She has six international wins, 17 titles including 5 Low Amateur finishes in LPGA/LET events, and has an impressive tally of top 10 finishes. She is also the first Asian to win the 2015 St. Rule Trophy and Lawson Trophy (St Andrews Links).
Aditi is the first Asian as silver medallist and runner-up at the International European Ladies Amateur Championship 2015.
She is also the first Indian to win Ladies British Amateur Open Stroke Play Championship 2015 - Nicholls Trophy and Dinwiddy Trophy (Moortown GC).
Impressive showings in the events building to the Olympics such as that in the British Open qualifying event have ensured that Aditi comes into the event in red hot form, something that the Indian will be looking to carry throughout the four days of competition.
However, it will be a tough ask for Aditi to excel at the Rio Games but a good performance will give her great confident going into the future.
--IANS
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