2021 Tokyo Olympics | Golfer Anirban Lahiri qualifies for the Games
Veteran Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri qualified for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics by virtue of claiming the last spot available in the final rankings. The Pune-based athlete made his Olympics debut in Rio, five years ago, having finished at the 57th spot with a total score of 294 in the men’s event.
In Olympics, Each country can send a total of two golfers each in the men’s and women’s section. The top 15 ranked golfers in the world will automatically qualify for the main event, with a maximum of two entries per event per country.
Beyond that, 60 spots will be filled up based on the final Olympic Golf ranking, provided the countries do not already have two golfers from a category in the top-15 list. India was entitled to one spot, and Anirban Lahiri, being the top-ranked Indian golfer, qualified as the 60th entrant.
"I'm feeling really blessed and fortunate right now. I was obviously not expecting it. I had no clue or information about what was going on with the withdrawals. I'm just beginning to realise and plan for it as to what I'm going to do over the next month," said Anirban Laihri, after qualifying for the Games.
So far, Anirban is the only golfer to have qualified for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics., However, Aditi Ashok, ranked 44th currently, will also join the Indian contingent, even though a final confirmation is yet to be given.