Sports
Lydia Ko uses Simone Biles as inspiration in quest for gold to complete Olympic medal set
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As the youngest ever world No 1 in either women’s or men’s golf, Lydia Ko’s CV is littered with “firsts”. But the New Zealander would love to fulfil even more of that early promise that saw her top the rankings as a 17-year-old by making history with the full set of Olympic medals.
Ko won silver as a 19-year-old in 2016 in Rio, where the sport made its return to the schedule after a 112-year absence, and bronze as a 24-year-old in Tokyo last time. Now back as a 27-year-old, the Seoul-born Ko is the obvious favourite going into Saturday’s final round.
A 68 took her to nine-under and into a tie for the lead with Switzerland’s Morgane Metraux, who once again belied being ranked 137th in the world by shooting 71. There is a two-shot gap to American Rose Zhang (67), who herself was a teenaged phenom, and Japan’s Miyu Yamashita (67).
With yet another former world No 1 in Atthaya Thitikul in fifth on six-under and Nelly Korda, the current No 1, two shot further back alongside Parisian Celine Boutier it is a quality leaderboard that could yet produce as many fireworks as last weekend’s men’s finale, in which Scottie Scheffler overhauled England’s Tommy Fleetwood.
‘I want to be the one that’s determining my fate’
Ko is taking motivation from a documentary she has watched here in Paris about gymnast Simone Biles.
“It is called Rising and I found it so inspirational,” Ko said. “As an outsider, we never know what the person is going through. For her to have been so vulnerable, I think it inspires a lot of people and it inspired me.
“I loved a few of the quotes so much that I’ve written them in my yardage book. The one that has most stuck with me was, ‘I get to write my own ending’. Sometimes we get carried on about things that we can’t control, and if I can do a good job of the things that I can control, you know, the rest is out of my hands.
“I’ve always said I want to be the one that’s determining my fate and it to hear literally the greatest of all time as a gymnast, and maybe potentially one of the best athletes of all time, say it in her story is very inspiring.”
Team GB will not be among the medals, despite both Georgia Hall and Charley Hull shooting under-par rounds on Friday. With a 71 Hall moved to three-over and into a tie for 27th, while Hull, the world No 11, compiled a 69 to go to five-over and stand in a tie for 36th in the 60-woman field.