Siddikur Rahman expressed satisfaction with his performance at the 2016 Rio Olympics, bearing in mind the difficulty of the golf course. The iconic Bangladesh golfer said this after returning to the capital yesterday morning.
He is the first among seven Bangladeshi Olympians to return home.
It was Siddikur's maiden appearance in the biggest and most prestigious sporting event of the world and the 31-year old made history by becoming the first ever Bangladeshi to qualify for the Olympics directly.
“Everyone had high expectations from me in the Olympics. But I think I played really well, considering the golf course. The course is PGA (Professional Golfers' Association) standard and if you look at the Asian participants, everyone performed almost the same,” Siddikur told Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
Siddikur finished his Olympics campaign scoring an overall 11-over-par 295 to finish 58th out of 60 participants. He scored four-over-par 75 in three rounds out of four. His best day in the office came in the second round where he carded one-under-par 70.
“Wind and rain engulfed the first three rounds. After the opening two rounds, I was a bit aggressive in the last two rounds. It was a totally different event where I gave my best and I'm satisfied about my performance. Playing there was a great achievement for me,” he said.
The two-time Asian Tour winner said it was “quite impossible to survive there” and informed that the Rio experience will prove to be huge for his career.
“If I wasn't there, I wouldn't have understood who I am. I'm impressed after my experience there. I never realised what an honour it was for me,” explained Siddikur.
Among other events that Siddikur watched were badminton and the men's doubles tennis final.
“I watched [Rafael] Nadal's game in the tennis final,” he said before adding, “When I went for the dinner, there were around 8,000 athletes in the dinning room. When I went to the gym, there were more than 400 players. The gym has world-class facilities and offers exclusive exercise. It inspired me in a way that I cannot express in words.”
Siddikur is preparing for the upcoming Omega European Masters in Switzerland, starting from September 1 to 4. He is scheduled to leave here on August 27.
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