Diksha Dagar might not be able to hear the sound when her golf club hits the ball, but striking hole-in-one lights up her face like nothing else. At the age of 16, the Indian golfer has made the country proud by winning a silver medal at the ongoing Deaflympics (Deaf Olympics; on till July 30) in Turkey.
Diksha is among the 46 sportspersons participating in the games at Samsun. This is the first time that golf is a part of Deaflympics. And, behind Diksha’s victory is an extraordinary tale of courage and commitment.
“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,” says Diksha, who, along with her brother Yogesh, who is also hearing-impaired, started accompanying her father, Col Narinder Dagar, to the golf course.
“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,” adds Diksha. The siblings didn’t play with the other children, but used their common disability to spend time together playing golf. “Being differently-abled, I hardly had any friends. Besides my family, golf is my life,” says the Delhi-based girl.
It’s not just her father whom Diksha credits for her achievements, but also the Indian Army. “Golf is an expensive sport. Being an army [person’s] daughter helped me, as The Indian Army supported me. My family made sacrifices. At times, it was tough to chase my passion but I still did it... I got the opportunity to play at the Deaf Olympics, and to represent my country. I want to thank my father and the Indian Army for this,” she says.
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