FOLLOWING her historic championship run in the 2021 US Women’s Open, Filipina-Japanese golfer Yuka Saso admitted there were pressures for her to deliver a gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
According to the 19-year-old golfer, she avoids being carried away by the expectations that she will be the key for the country to end its long wait for an Olympic gold medal.
“Does not mean that I won (the US Women’s Open) I can win the gold in the Olympics,” Saso said in a virtual presser with Filipino reporters on Tuesday. “I still have to work on it.”
Saso, a gold medal winner in the 2018 Asian Games, was virtually qualified for the women’s golf event of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after jumping to ninth place in the world rankings.
In Olympic golf, the qualifications of players are based on their world ranking by June 28. A total of 60 golfers will get a slot to the Summer Games slated from July 23 to August 8 in Tokyo, Japan.
In Saso’s case, even if she drops out of the top 15, she is still qualified for the remaining spots as she will be part of the highest-ranked players from countries that do not have two golfers qualified- list.
“The Olympics is in August, but there are still many tournaments before it. When it’s the Olympics, it’s game time, but it’s game time every week, but I don’t want to rush. I just want to take it week by week,” she noted.
Born and raised in San Ildefonso, Bulacan, to a Filipino mom and a Japanese dad, Saso said she feels proud of the opportunity to represent the country in the Olympics.
“I actually think I’m sticking with the Philippines, and that won’t change. Whatever happens in the future, I’m still Filipino, and I’m still Japanese. I don’t want to choose because I’m both,” she added.
Aside from Saso, also in contention for a possible Olympic slot is Negrense golfer Juvic Pagunsan, who is currently within the top 60 in the men’s golf category./PN
