Silver medallist of the 2017 Deaf Olympics, Turkey, Diksha Dagar was given a late entry to the Tokyo Olympics women’s golf competition beginning next month on August 5, 2021. Dagar was one of the reserves when the players for the Tokyo Olympics were finalised.

Since her late entry to the Olympics was finalised the Indian Golf Union (IGU) has begun arrangements for Diksha to reach Tokyo. She will now join Aditi Ashok in the team.

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Dagar was born with a hearing impairment, she will hold the honour of representing at Deaf Olympics in 2017, and Tokyo Olympics, 2021.

In 2016, when she was just 16-year-old Dagar was given the opportunity to play at the Hero Women’s Indian Open, India’s biggest women’s pro event.

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Golf was introduced to Dagar by her father Naren Dagar, “I have been learning golf since the age of six. I love to play the sport, but no one was ready to provide coaching to me. So, my dad became my coach and my strength,” said Diksha in an interview with Hindustan Times.

She added, “It wasn’t easy, my father also had a job to take care of, and I could not have played alone, so he coached my brother, too. Being differently-abled, I hardly had any friends. Besides my family, golf is my life.” 

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She also participated in the 2018 Asian Games, after which she became a professional player in 2019. Since then she has won two titles on the Ladies European Tour, one of them as the event.

She represented India at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia. Diksha was recognised by Forbes magazine in the 30 under 30 Asia – Sports and Entertainment category. She was the only under-18 player in the top 500 global rankings.

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She was one of the top-60 players in July 2020, when the Olympics were originally supposed to take place. Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has started formalities for Diksha’s accreditation and her travel.

Her father and coach Naren Dagar who is also her caddie has returned to India, to complete the formalities with the  IGU and the IOA to help Diksha.