"A lot bigger than I envisioned" - Home hero Celine Boutier shares her 'two-folded' Paris Olympics experience
Local hero Celine Boutier has reflected on her experience playing at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The French golfer was the favorite to win a medal but struggled despite a strong start, ultimately finishing in 18th place.
Following her outing at the Paris Olympics, Boutier described her experience as "two-folded." Speaking about the crowd and the venue, she said (via ASAP Sports):
"It was kind of two-folded. I think it was a great experience from the spectator standpoint and everything went so smooth. The course was incredible. The amount of fans that showed up was also incredible. So on that end, it was just the best. I don't think we could have expected any better."
Additionally, the 30-year-old said she had fun competing in Paris and that it was something she had not imagined.
"Yeah, I think it was definitely a lot bigger than I envisioned. I obviously knew the Olympics was going to be huge. But I think being able to experience the men's event first was definitely helpful just to be able to adjust the expectations that I had on the tournament. It was definitely a lot bigger than I thought, and then this week was also huge. So it was fun to see," she added.
Celine Boutier took the lead after the first round, shooting an impressive 65. However, she struggled as the tournament progressed, experienced a rough second round, and tried to bounce back in the following two rounds.
A look at Celine Boutier's performance at the Paris Olympics 2024
Celine Boutier had a fantastic start to her 2024 Paris Olympics campaign, shooting eight birdies and just one bogey in the first round for a score of 65. Boutier began her round with a birdie on the third hole and followed it up with two more birdies on the fifth and sixth holes. She added five birdies on the back nine, with a bogey on the 12th.
Despite her strong start, Celine Boutier struggled as the tournament progressed. In the second round, she scored 76 with two birdies, two bogeys, and two double bogeys.
The 30-year-old tried to bounce back in the third round, shooting five birdies, but encountered trouble on the 13th and 15th holes, where she recorded a triple bogey and a bogey, respectively, finishing the round with a score of 71.
The French golfer again faced difficulties in the final round. She shot five bogeys and three birdies to finish with a score of 74. She ended the tournament with a 2-under-par score, tying for 18th place.
Lydia Ko won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics while Esther Henseleit claimed silver and Xiyu Lin took the bronze.