-former Golf champ says she misses action, competition among club-mates

By Clifton Ross

LOCAL pro golfer and Dental Surgeon, Dr. Joaan Deo, is taking full advantage of the current lockdown situation, spending time with family and training rigorously, as athletes globally cope with prolonged break due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
With athletes forced into seclusion due to the global stoppage of sports, the local fraternities have also felt the brunt of the ripple effect caused by the outbreak.
As such, athletes like Deo, one of Guyana’s most seasoned golfers and a former Guyana Open cup champion, are now forced to sit back and wait for what could be an alternate universe whenever sports resumes fully.

Deo, who has been away from the Greens since quarantine began, said in an interview with Chronicle Sports that the abrupt shift from playing golf every weekend, competitively, for a number of years, to just sitting at home waiting for the world to return to normalcy, is quite difficult.

“It’s hard cause I started training in morning every week. Because of that, my game was on point and I won a few tournaments before everything was called off and even the games I didn’t win, I was on the winners row”, said Deo.

Although golf is quite different from the other sporting discipline, and golfers can actually play without a caddy and without mass gathering while still having a competitive run, the former champ said she was, nevertheless, grateful for the time off.

“When I return to competitive golf, I really don’t want to be rusty. By having regular swing motions at home, I can maintain my swing, with respect to flow and timing.” She outlined.
One of the main challenges thus far, not just locally but globally, is the strict lockdown on gyms. The move meant athletes and normal gym ‘rats’ had no option but to work out at home.

The Lusignan Golf Club (LGC) Vice-Captain pointed out that her home-workout regimes have been going well. I have been keeping fit by doing some cardio and working on my timing along with the rhythm in my swing “.

However, some of the downsides, according to the golfer, are the very things the current lockdown rules represent.
“I miss hanging and fraternising with my clubmates or just going places in general; now it’s different but it’s good in a way”.

Wrapping up her interview, the local pro said she thinks that in the future while some persons might readjust to normal living, athletes, in particular, might be a bit skeptical on how they interact with the world again.

“Hopefully, we get decreased numbers of confirmed cases of COVID-19 and we can then readjust. But I think some persons, especially athletes, might be a bit skeptical on how they interact with the world again” Deo ended.