Mysuru celebrates Pranavi Urs, first Indian woman golfer to win Asian Games gold
Golfer Pranavi Urs, who won gold at the Asian Games, was felicitated in her home city of Mysuru on Wednesday. A procession through the city centre, a reception at a temple near the Mysuru Palace and a formal ceremony marked the day's events.
According to the felicitation organisers and reports, Pranavi is the first Indian woman golfer to win an individual gold medal at the Asian Games. She also won a silver medal in the team event at the same edition of the Games.
Carrying the Indian flag, she travelled through the city centre in an open vehicle as people lined the route, applauding and cheering. Pranavi waved to the crowds and thanked them for their support.
She was welcomed at the Kote Anjaneyaswamy Temple near the Mysuru Palace. Her family members and sportspersons from the city were present. At a felicitation programme held there, Mysuru MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar honoured her with a Mysuru peta and a shawl.
Speaking to reporters later, Pranavi said winning an Olympic medal was her next goal and dream. "The competition at the Asian Games was tough. There have been highs and lows in my career, but I consider this my biggest achievement so far. I am extremely happy and excited about the achievement," she said.
She said regular practice was the key to her success. "I used to practise for nearly five to six hours every day. My routine also included gym sessions. My family has been my biggest support, and without their help, I would not have reached this level," she said.
Asked about the widely held view that golf is a sport for the affluent, Pranavi said the game was open to everyone. "Everyone can play golf. The game is not limited to the rich. Once you start playing, you will understand the sport," she said.
Her remark touches on a long-standing debate in Indian sport. Golf has historically been associated with private clubs and expensive equipment, and access to courses and coaching has often depended on membership and cost. In recent years, however, public courses, academies and junior programmes in several cities have widened the pool of players, and Indian golfers have begun to feature more regularly on international tours and at multi-sport events.
Her achievement, and the reception it drew in Mysuru, is likely to draw more attention to the sport in Karnataka and elsewhere. Medals at events such as the Asian Games typically bring increased interest from sponsors, administrators and young athletes looking for a sport to pursue.
Pranavi's own account of her progress points to the less visible part of such success: years of daily practice, physical conditioning and steady family support. She has said she intends to build on the Asian Games result rather than treat it as an endpoint, with the Olympic stage as her stated target.
For now, the focus in her home city has been on the celebration itself. Residents who turned out along the procession route said they were proud to see a Mysurean honoured for an international achievement, and the felicitation programme gave her family, local sportspersons and civic representatives an opportunity to acknowledge it publicly.
