Aditi Ashok interview: 'I think the wind can make it challenging'
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India, July 30 -- Aditi Ashok is on the move. Having competed in Dana Open in Ohio and CPKC Women's Open in Calgary over the past few days, she is back in the US for Portland Classic, her third LPGA event in as many weeks.If she makes the cut in Oregon, she will fly half the world across to Paris, just three days before her event starts.Excerpts from an interview:This will be your third Olympics. How do you look at your journey?I was 14 when I heard that golf would be part of the Olympics, and I made it my goal to make it to Rio. I had to play a lot of world ranked amateur events to better my amateur ranking and then get some sponsor invites to play in professional events between 2012 and 2016. All that took a lot of effort from me and my parents.In Rio, I was 18 and had only been professional for 6 months. But in the 6 months preceding the Games, I had almost two months off as I had my board exams to attend to. So I was definitely not as ready as I would have liked to be but it was a great week and I learnt a lot after playing in challenging conditions and being near the lead.In Tokyo, obviously I was more seasoned and knew how to handle my game a lot better. The only challenging part that week was that I had a month and a half where I hadn't swung a club or gone to gym as I had Covid and was quarantining. So, I didn't have a lot of expectations in Tokyo as it was only my seventh tournament back from that forced break. But I played some of my best golf and ended up really close to winning a medal.I think I was a kid the in the Rio Olympics and a rookie in the complete sense of the word. Now I can't believe it's been eight years since Rio and it's going to be my third Olympics.
I have definitely matured as a golfer and a person and I can't wait to tee off in Paris.What did the fourth-place finish in Tokyo tell you about yourself?I think I played the best golf I could have that week. I barely missed a putt over 4 days and definitely exercised my golfing potential that week. It did give me a lot of confidence because I had a couple top 10's on LPGA in the few tournaments after Tokyo. I felt like a different golfer after that week and knew I had the potential to do well on the LPGA too despite not having length of the tee.Are you happy with your form and fitness going into the Games?I have been playing fine and my game feels good. I haven't had any great results yet this season but if I play to my potential four days in a row, I'll have a good chance of winning. My preparation has been mostly on the LPGA tour. I have been working on a lot of different things in all parts of my game but I would say my focus has been on driving. That's been the key to my good performances in the past. So yes, just working on speed and accuracy off the tee.Do you feel the pressure of expectations?I know people expect a lot out of our athletes but I don't worry about it too much. I was ranked 194th in the world but ended up fourth in Tokyo.
Golf is a sport where even the world No.1 isn't guaranteed to win that week. I think people who follow golf probably understand that too.Your own expectations from Paris?I don't have expectations. It's never helped me to think about my results before events so I don't tend to do that. I just try to follow my game plan and commit to every shot. I know my game is good enough to keep me in contention. I just have to stick to the process. I think Le Golf National course is amazing. I did get a chance to play a couple rounds there before the Evian Championship (July 11-14). I think the wind can make it challenging as it's quite open but it'll be fun to play in such a storied venue. I think golfers are used to playing in the heat and it's the same for everyone so it won't be much of a factor I feel.Any learning from Tokyo that you would like to take to Paris?I don't think so. The more removed I am from that week in Tokyo, the more I realise how incredible my performance was. I had gained something like 13.8 strokes in putting over the field which is usually unheard of in one week. I got a lot of confidence from that week but that's about it.Any changes in equipment, coaching or technique you've incorporated since Tokyo?Yeah, I've changed a lot of different things in the past 4 years since Tokyo. I think the biggest change has been in my driving and that's where my focus has been.
