Paris Olympics: golfer Marty Dou hopes to copy hurdler Liu Xiang’s shock Games win
- The 356th-ranked 27-year-old, who will make his Olympic debut with friend Carl Yuan, hopes to learn from the success of Rory Sabbatini, CT Pan
Marty Dou Zecheng’s first memories of the Olympic Games are of watching China win gold in unexpected fashion – it’s something he hopes to emulate in Paris this summer.
The 27-year-old will make his Olympic debut alongside close friend Carl Yuan in the men’s golf, and as well as taking inspiration from track and field athlete Liu Xiang’s triumph in the 110 metres hurdles in Athens in 2004, there is the success story of 2021 silver medallist Rory Sabbatini to consider.
Liu’s gold was the first in men’s track and field for China, and the barriers he overcame give Dou belief that he could take on and beat the likes of world No 1 Scottie Scheffler, Tokyo gold medallist Xander Schauffele and world No 3 Rory McIlroy.
“My very first Olympic memory was watching Liu Xiang win the 110m hurdles,” Dou said. “I was really excited and I think every Olympic champion is awesome and is my role model. They are challenging the limits of the human body, while representing their country.”
Ranked 356th in the world, Dou has split his time playing on the Korn Ferry Tour and the PGA Tour this season, and knows the pair will need to produce a herculean effort at Le Golf National in Paris to have any chance of a podium finish.
While Liu will serve as his inspiration, the success of Sabbatini and Chinese Taipei’s CT Pan, who won bronze in Japan, proves that winning a medal in golf is not a long shot.
