Sportskeeda's Indian Sportsperson of the Year 2016 – No. 25 to No. 16

#17 Aditi Ashok

Aditi Ashok was leading at Rio 2016 before falling down the rankings

Aditi Ashok has excelled in a sport that is not the most popular sport in India. She is only 18 years of age, but she is already the best female talent in golf that the country has ever produced.

Earlier in the year, she became the first Indian female golfer to qualify for the Olympics. Although she performed well on the first two days at Rio, Ashok fell back on the last day and eventually finished 31^st. However, her achievement is no less remarkable given that this was her debut at the Olympics.

She followed up her performance at the Olympics with three consecutive top 10 finishes at the Ladies European Tour, thus becoming the first Indian to do so. Aditi’s best performance, however, came at the Hero Women’s Indian Open in Gurugram. She carded an even-par at the DLF Golf and Country club to emerge as the victor on the final day.

The 18-year-old ended the year on a high with a tied third finish at the Dubai Ladies Masters tournament. The third place finish ensured that Aditi won the Rookie of the Year award and the 17^th position on this list.