Edited by Anand Datla
April 25, 2015: Jeev Milkha Singh has the burning desire to win an Olympic gold when golf returns to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. His father, Milkha Singh, missed out at the 1960 Olympics in Rome but he is still hopeful an Indian athlete will win a gold medal in the prestigious games during his lifetime. (Latest Golf News)
With golf being included in the next Olympics, Jeev sees it as an opportunity to give his father a rare moment to hold an Olympic medal in his hands and announce to the world that one from the Milkha family has finally won an Olympic medal for India.
“I would like to win an Olympic medal and the Masters. It’s a proud moment for me that golf is making its debut at the Olympics during my playing career. It was always my desire to represent India at the Olympics and I am lucky enough that this opportunity has come during my time,” Jeev told dna here after receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Indian Golf Industry Association (IGIA) for his contribution to the game.
“My father competed in the 1960 Rome Olympics. If I get the medal, I would be fulfilling my father’s wish to see another ‘Milkha’ winning the medal. I’ll give my best shot at Rio.”
The 44-year-old Jeev has been struggling with injuries in the last two months. In a recent tweet, Jeev wrote that is undergoing treatment from ‘one of the best doctors in the world’ in Germany.
“Injuries had set me back and that was frustrating. I had taken a gap of two months to rejuvenate myself, healing my shoulder. I had been tired of playing golf with a lot of pain for the last two years. I wasn’t enjoying the game. I want to be physically and mentally fit before making a possible comeback at the Spanish Open,” he said.
Despite his injury concerns, Jeev is positive he can bounce back and return to his best form.
“The competition has surely grown for me. I still feel that game is on my side. I still have the fire to play at the highest level and compete with these boys. In a way, it’s good for me. I see these guys hitting the ball so far, so I also feel that I should also hit the same distance. I have not grown that old. I am 44 but yet not finished,” said the golfer in praise of young golfers like Anirban Lahiri, Gaganjeet Bhullar, S.S.P. Chawrasia and Rashid Khan.
“Lahiri has a lot of desire to succeed. He is a complete package, a world-beater. Making the cut for the Masters was a big thing in his first appearance. I have played Masters three times and I can still remember that I was very nervous on my debut but I managed to do well. I would say Lahiri, Gaganjeet, Chawrasia, and Rashid are all very good. But if you ask me who has impressed me the most, then I would pick Lahiri because he has proven himself on the international stage,” Jeev added.
