Golfer Manu Gandas hopes for medal in Asian Games

New Delhi: Youth Asian Games silver winner Manu Gandas is hopeful of a medal for India in the Incheon Games but says the team wants to keep a low profile.

"The real competition is with ourselves. We, of course, are hoping to get a medal. But its good to keep a low profile and not really hype things up. We are going to give our best shot and hope to make the country proud," Gandas told PTI at the sidelines of a send-off event organised by the Indian Golf Union at the Delhi Golf Club, here today.

"The best team is Korea and we will have to match up to them. Teams from China and Japan will also be tough. It's important to perform on that particular day and if everything falls into place then its just your day," Gandas added.

The four men and three women in the seven-member Indian golf team got some valuable tips from Colin Montgomerie and the Scottish golf legend also wished the team luck for the Asian Games. Maharashtra State Amateur champion in 2011, Udayan Mane also treaded the cautious path while responding to the team's realistic chances in Incheon.

"I would say that we would put our best foot forward. Every team that competes in a tournament like this, is there to win and so are we, but you never know. Let our actions speak more than our words when we swing on the course," Udayan said. Even the female golfers exuded confidence wearing their blue blazers and grey pants with an Indian crest and tie on the eve of their departure.

The Indian women did themselves proud after finishing tied 17th in the World Amateur Team Championships in Japan this year and hope to take the momentum forward to Incheon. Aditi Ashok, who is making her maiden appearance along with Astha Madan in the Asiad is hoping for the best.
"We have done well in the recent past. Only 4 or 5 nations were better than us in Japan. So we are surely eyeing a medal but we will have stiff competition from Korea, China and Japan," Aditi said.

Amateur golfer from Delhi, Gurbani Singh is the third in the Indian women's team and the most experienced as well. Gurbani will be making her second Asiad appearance after being part of the Guanghzou team in 2010.

The women will have to shrug off the ninth-place finish four years back to start a new chapter this year. For the record, Indian men's team settled for sliver in the the 2010 edition after the quartet of Rashid Khan, Abhinav Lohan, Abhijit Singh Chadha and Rahul Bajaj finished behind South Korea. The team is being coached by Jasjit Singh and Indian Golf Union president Raian Irani is the manager of the squad.