Ariya Jutanugarn
Rio pain spurs her to another try
Five years is a long time to wait but for this trio of women professional golfers, it will be worth it as the Tokyo Games draw near. Kimberly Kwek looks at their Olympic hopes and dreams.
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Thailand's Ariya Jutanugarn was hot favourite for the Rio gold medal, but the then-world No. 2's run ended abruptly as an injury to her left knee forced her to withdraw in the third round.
PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Ariya Jutanugarn had looked unstoppable at the 2016 Rio Olympics, as the Thai marked the return of golf after a 116-year absence by storming to the top of the women's leaderboard.
A hot favourite for the gold medal, the then-world No. 2 had just a month earlier become the first Thai to win a Major with her victory in the Women's British Open.
But Ariya's run came to an abrupt halt as an injury to her left knee forced her to withdraw in the third round of the tournament.
Recalling the despair she felt, she said yesterday: "I was really disappointed because (I wanted to represent) Thailand and the Olympics are one of the biggest tournaments in the world.
"We have to understand that injuries can happen any time as athletes, so just have to understand that and take care of myself by making sure I stay healthy."
Now, the 25-year-old is fighting for another shot at Olympic success.
As it stands, the world No. 34 holds the second and final spot to represent Thailand at the Olympics, but her elder sister Moriya is not far behind at world No. 42.
She said: "This time the rankings are pretty close so I don't know if I'm going to get in or not, but if I'm able to play, I really want to represent Thailand."
After her Rio campaign ended prematurely, Ariya bounced back a week later by winning the Canadian Women's Open - her fifth title of the LPGA Tour season.
She then rose to the top of the world rankings in 2017 - another first for a Thai golfer - and had an impressive 2018 that saw her named the Rolex Player of the Year.
But she could not replicate her blistering form in 2019 and went without a win that year, although she had 10 top-10 finishes in the 29 events she took part in.
While that winless run was tough to endure, Ariya believes that it taught her some valuable lessons as she attempts to qualify for her second Olympics.
She said: "One of my main jobs was to just keep doing what was under my control, the outcome may not always be what I want or like. I have to keep my head down and keep doing the same stuff."
