India’s top ranked golfer Shubhankar Sharma has made the cut for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics, the International Golf Federation announced in a press release on Tuesday.
Along with Sharma, Gaganjeet Bhullar will also represent the country in the men’s golf event. Sharma, the world No 219, qualified with an Olympic ranking of 48 while Bhullar (world No 261) confirmed his spot by placing 54th in the Olympic ranking list.
The Olympic event features 60 players each in the men’s and women’s events.
“It’s a privilege and honour to represent India at the Olympics,” said Sharma, in a statement, after his qualification was confirmed.
“It’s a dream come true obviously. I have been preparing for this day for a while now, and am planning my schedule on the European Tour, accordingly.”
This will be an Olympic debut for both Sharma and Bhullar. While Sharma is a two-time winner on the DP World Tour (formerly known as the European tour), Bhullar is an 11-time Asian Tour champion and a silver medallist at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha.
The qualification period for the women’s event ends on June 24 and as it stands, Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar are well-placed to make the cut for Paris. Ashok is ranked 24th while Dagar is ranked 40th in the Olympic lists.
Ashok made waves during the previous Olympics in Tokyo when she finished a historic fourth in the women’s event. Sharma is hoping something similar happens this time round in Paris.
The men’s and women’s golf events run between August 1 and 10 and will be held at the Golf National course in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, in the outskirts of Paris.
