2024 Olympics: Workforce USA girls element their full expertise in Paris

Workforce USA consists of three gamers for the 2024 Olympics girls’s golf competitors.

They’ve World No. 1 Nelly Korda, who appears to be like to defend her gold medal from 2021 on the Tokyo Video games. World No. 2 Lilia Vu and World No. 9 Rose Zhang make their Olympic debuts.

When Korda made her debut, COVID-19 restricted every part. She and the opposite athletes couldn’t attend totally different sporting occasions or actually expertise the Olympics.

Nonetheless, This yr, all three women noticed their fellow People compete of their sports activities.

Forward of the golf event that begins Wednesday morning, Korda, Vu and Zhang detailed their experiences thus far and what it means to them to be Olympians.

All three went to see the Workforce USA swimmers do their factor and witness greatness.

“I caught Katie Ledecky win the 800, which is cool, and a few the relays,” Korda mentioned. “In order that was thrilling. Getting to try this in individual was undoubtedly a bucket listing factor.”

Photograph by Maddie Meyer/Getty Photographs

“All of us went to see a few occasions,” Zhang mentioned. “We went to observe swimming on Saturday night time and basically, I’m simply feeling actually good vibes after I’m out right here. We received to observe the lads’s a bit bit, and it’s been a cool expertise thus far.”

Watching the opposite occasions made Vu notice this was not a dream however a actuality. She is without doubt one of the three Workforce USA Olympians for girls’s golf. Along with her harm earlier this yr, it was unsure if she would even be in Paris.

“It hit me after we went to observe swimming the opposite night time,” Vu mentioned. The crowds have been tremendous passionate, and we noticed Katie Ledecky get one other Gold. It was emotional listening to our Nationwide Anthem, and I can’t wait to do the identical.”

They even watched Scottie Scheffler win his Gold medal on the clubhouse tv. Vu and Zhang mentioned they put themselves in entrance of the TV and received to cheer for him.

For the Korda’s, the Olympics run deep into the household.

Photograph by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Photographs

“We watched it quite a bit, each two years, even the winter Olympics. That’s one thing all of us did as a household,” Korda mentioned. “There’s nothing like representing your nation, so getting to try this on the Olympic stage is a dream come true.”

Korda’s mother can be an Olympian, showing within the 1988 Video games. The Korda women love to make use of their bragging rights in relation to the Video games.

“We all the time make enjoyable of the boys as a result of we are saying that the ladies within the Korda household are the one ones who’re Olympians, and the boys aren’t,” Korda famous. My dad and my brother could or might not be. So now we have that above them within the household.”

Vu and Zhang are taking all of it in as first-time Olympians. From buying and selling pins to catching the opposite occasions, representing the USA appears to be a privilege.

“The Olympics is such a distinct stage by way of representing your nation,” Zhang mentioned. “Everyone seems to be tuning in to observe and supporting. It’s all the time an actual nice honor for us athletes, and I feel it’s the best regard or customary for us to have the ability to characterize our nations.”

Not many get to expertise the Olympics from an athlete’s perspective. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime factor that even fewer get to do a number of instances. All three of those women appear to be having fun with each second of it.

Now, they may compete at Le Golf Nationwide for Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals. All three women might see the rostrum, however who might win the Gold?

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By means of. For extra golf protection, observe us @_PlayingThrough on all main social platforms. It’s also possible to observe her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @golf_girl_sl.