Olympic Golf is more than just sport for Anirban and Chawrasia

It can be intimidating to even the best of men and women, being surrounded by men and women whose very existence is driven by an unrelenting pursuit of excellence.

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Anirban Lahiri Olympic Dream

The Olympics brings together some of the best specimens of our species together for an unequalled exhibition of human talent. It can be intimidating to even the best of men and women, being surrounded by men and women whose very existence is driven by an unrelenting pursuit of excellence. No wonder then that golfers were finding that Olympic Golf is more than just that. Anirban Lahiri and SSP Chawrasia have been hard at work absorbing the overwhelming experience even as they searched for their best game in the pursuit of Olympic glory.

“What a privilege and honour that golf is in the Olympics and to be a part of this,” gushed a delighted Bubba Watson. “Right or wrong, you know, it’s hard for me to focus on golf because of the fact that it’s just a dream of a lifetime to be associated with these great athletes.”

No wonder then that he started his Rio campaign with an underwhelming 73 in the first round. Watson seems to have gathered his wits though as he produced a six shot swing in the second round, shooting a fine 67.

Our Indian competitors are also relishing the honour of being Olympians. Anirban has been vocal in his support for the games. “It would mean a lot to India to get a medal out of a game like golf as that will probably put the sport in the forefront,” he said, as he prepared for the important event. “To me, the Olympics is a very important event because it will spark the popularity of golf in India and have the government take a stronger initiative to promote the sport.”

But once you get to Rio and start tasting the myriad flavours of the Olympics, it is easy to understand how challenging it is for a first time Olympian to stay on point. Anirban, perhaps overwhelmed by the experience, has been struggling to bring his A game to the table. And to credit the guy, he admitted it in a post he put up on Facebook. But what’s embedded in there is a real issue that we in India need to absorb, and fix.

Indian government should support athletesIn his rounds, Anirban waited to the end of the round to produce some of his best golf. He is a proud man with a winning attitude and will be hoping that there is something in the bag to fuel himself higher up the order on another occasion.

Chawrasia represents the middle class dream, having risen from the underbelly of golf to represent the country at the highest level. The gritty man from Kolkata has held his own so far, battling the undulating course at Rio to stay even with the Barra da Tijuca.

Anirban Lahiri in action at the Rio Olympics
Anirban Lahiri in action at the Rio Olympics

The initiation is now done and the Olympics experience is now a reality. It is time now for our two golfing heroes to dig deep and discover some inspiration for the next big story at The Olympics in Tokyo 2020. Anirban and Chawrasia will look to sign off with some great experiences, memories, some learnings not just about golf but an overall sporting world marred with controversy, celebration and sometimes even apathy. A shot at an Olympic medal may have to wait for four more years but it may be worth it even India wakes up to its sporting story and raises its benchmarks of support.

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