Lydia Ko explains how her unbelievable gold medal quest at the Paris Olympics was like a 'Cinderella story'
On Saturday, August 10, Lydia Ko shot a 1-under 71 in the final round of the Pairs Olympics to win the gold medal. Following her victory, she called it a 'Cinderella story.'
Lydia Ko wasn't the tournament favorite when she entered Le Golf National. However, she had the experience of standing on the podium before, having won silver and bronze in the past two Olympics. This experience proved valuable, as she finished at 10-under to win the gold, beating Esther Henseleit by two strokes.
After her triumph, Ko reflected on her victory and explained why she called it a Cinderella story.
"I mean, Cinderella's glass slippers are see-through and my podium shoes are also see-through," she explained. "I guess that's something that we have going for us. I feel like I'm part of this story tale."
"Going into this week, everyone was saying, 'Oh, what if you finish and collect all the Gold on top of the Silver and Bronze you have.' Of course I want to do that, complete it, too, but it's much easier said than done," she added.
Ko added that she wanted to focus solely on her game, so she even deleted her Instagram to avoid distractions from other people's comments.
"This experience has been unbelievable and the fans have been great. The French fans have been awesome, kind of taking me in as one of their own. And it's definitely a life peak for me here. I don't think I've experienced this kind of adrenaline before, and to do it here, it really can't get any better," she concluded.
What's next for Lydia Ko?
Lydia Ko will next compete at the Women's Open which is set to take place from August 22 to August 25 at the Old Course in the UK. The Women's Open will be the last major championship of the season.
Lydia Ko has missed just two cuts this season and has registered four top tens. Besides the Olympics, she also won the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions earlier this year.
Ko had overall won 20 titles on the LPGA Tour including two majors. Notably, she is the youngest to win on Tour, win the major championship, and become no. 1 in Rolex Women's golf rankings.