PARIS: India’s Diksha Dagar has shrugged off a car accident and is now hoping to “inspire” fellow deaf people as well as challenge for a women’s golf medal in Paris this week. The 23-year-old made her Olympic debut in Tokyo at the delayed 2020 Games and was also a Deaflympic gold medallist three years ago.

She played herself into medal contention at Le Golf National on Wednesday, carding a one-under-par 71 to sit in a tie for seventh place after the first round of the women’s event. “I never thought that — when I was playing tournaments, I had no idea what I was doing but when the people come to me, like hitting it, and they are deaf like me, they ask, ‘I follow you, and it’s very inspiring to see you’,” Dagar said.

“I mean, it feels so good, like it feels amazing. At least I’m walking on the right path and I want to do something better and inspire them more.” Dagar says she feels fortunate to be competing, after her and her family were involved in a car accident in Paris last week which left her mother in hospital with a spinal injury.

“You can’t avoid the accident. It happened. Like it was nobody’s fault,” she said. “I don’t know how it will end up but you can say it was part of my Olympic experience. It was terrible accident but by God’s grace we are safe.

“I’m very lucky and blessed to play the Olympics the second time.” Left-hander Dagar and her India teammate Aditi Ashok both made good starts on the Albatros course, with Ashok signing for a level-par 72 as she attempts to go at least one better than when she finished fourth in Tokyo.

Dagar will play in the first group in Thursday’s second round, teeing off at 9:00 am local time (0700 GMT) with Taiwan’s Hsu Wei-ling and Austrian Emma Spitz. — AFP