From Turning Pro In 2019 To Striking Gold At Deaflympics: Here's Diksha Dagar's Inspiring Journey So Far

Indian golfer Diksha Dagar defeated American Ashlyn Grace in the finals to earn gold in the Deaflympics, delivering on her commitment to improving on her silver-winning performance in 2017. Diksha is the first golfer in Indian history to win two Deaflympic medals. In 2017, she took silver in Samsun, Turkey. She won gold at the Deaflympics in 2022, which is very much the 2021 edition of the Deaflympics.

Diksha's Golden Performance!

The 21-year-old left-hander, a professional with great victories on the Ladies European Tour, capped off a strong performance by winning the match, playing a part in the ladies golf championships 5 and 4. She defeated Grace Johnson by four holes. When golf was first featured in the Deaflympics in 2017, Diksha, then a beginner and still under the age of 17, easily made it to the final.

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Champion 🏌‍♀️⛳️ @DikshaDagar with her GOLD 🥇 during the medal ceremony at Brazil #Deaflympics 👏👏

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There, she lost in a playoff against American Yost Kaylin, who was also competing on the Symetra Tour and in several LPGA Tour tournaments at the time. Diksha actually qualified for the Tokyo Olympics at the last minute in 2021, making her the first golfer to compete in both the Deaflympics and the Olympic Games, as reported by The Indian Express.

Turned Pro In 2019 Only

Diksha became professional in early 2019 and won the Investec South Africa Women's Open that same year. She was a member of the victorious squad in the Aramco Team Series London in 2021. The Ladies European Tour includes both tournaments. On the Hero Women's Pro Circuit in India, she won many occasions while still a rookie.

The battle for bronze was fierce, with Frenchwoman Margaux ending Norwegian Andrea Hovtsein's bid for a second medal on the third playoff hole, the 21st. Andrea won a bronze medal in 2017.

A True Champion Is Born

Diksha suffered from hearing loss and began using hearing aids at the age of six. Diksha was exposed to sports by her father and caddy Narinder Dagar when she was just eight years old. Diksha, who was trained in tennis, swimming, and athletics, opted to pursue golf after being motivated by her father's love of the sport. Diksha has performed admirably in the sport despite hurdles such as hearing problems. Despite her hearing impairment, she never gave up and remained focused on her game, eventually winning a gold medal in the Deaflympics.

Father Guided Her Towards Gold Medal

"I've been playing golf since I was six years old." "I love to play the sport, but no one was willing to instruct me, so my father turned my coach and my strength," she explained in a conversation with the Hindustan Times.

She and her hard of hearing brother Yogesh began following her dad, Col Narinder Dagar, to the golf course.

"It wasn't simple... My father also had a job to attend to, and I couldn't have played alone, so he also coached my brother," Diksha continues. "Being differently-abled, I didn't have many friends." Golf, aside from my family, is my life," she continued.

The brother and sister didn't play with any other kids, but they did exploit their shared handicap to enjoy time together playing golf.

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