"That just sunk in with me"- Lydia Ko credits gymnastics star Simone Biles' 'inspiring' documentary

Lydia Ko is on the verge of winning her third Olympic medal. This and other accomplishments have made her an inspiration to many players around the world. However, Ko also has her own sources of inspiration.

After the third round of the Paris 2024 Olympic golf event, Lydia Ko revealed to the press that gymnastics superstar Simone Biles is an inspiration for her in her athletic career. Biles just won three golds and a silver medal in Paris.

This is how Lydia Ko spoke about it (via AFP):

"I watched her documentary and it was so inspirational. I think as an outsider, we never know what the person is going through. I think for her to have been so vulnerable, I think it inspires a lot of people and it inspired me."

She added:

"I loved a few of the quotes that she said so I kind of wrote it on my yardage book. I think one of the things she [Simone Biles] had is, 'I get to write my own ending'. I always say, I want to be the one that's determining my fate and my ending and how I end my career, my round, and that just sunk in with me a lot."

Simone Biles has competed in three Olympic Games, winning seven gold, two silver and two bronze medals. She has also won 23 gold, four silver and three bronze medals at the World Championships.

Lydia Ko leads the Olympic golf competition, tied with Morgane Metraux at 9-under after 54 holes. A gold medal would earn her a spot in the LPGA Hall of Fame, while a medal of any color would make her the only golfer in history with three Olympic medals.

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Overview of Lydia Ko's Olympic career

Lydia Ko became a global golf superstar as a teenager. She also began to shine at the Olympic Games at a very young age, making her debut at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games at the age of 19.

The Rio 2016 Olympic Games marked the return of golf to the world's premier multi-sport event after 112 years. Ko was one of the top stars in the women's field, in fact, she was ranked number one in the world at the time.

The event was dominated almost from the start by 7-time Major champion and LPGA Hall of Famer Inbee Park. Ko finished in a tie for second after shooting a 66 in the third round. She went on to win the silver medal.

Five years later, Ko entered the Tokyo Olympics ranked third in the world. There, she again played her best golf in the final, shooting scores of 66 and 65 in the third and fourth rounds to tie with Mone Inami, one stroke behind champion Nelly Korda.

Ko and Inami played for the silver medal in a playoff, which the Japanese won. With the bronze medal, Ko became the only stroke-play multi-medalist in Olympic golf history.