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 seems to be 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 the whole lot. She and the opposite athletes couldn’t attend completely different sporting occasions or actually expertise the Olympics.

Nonetheless, This 12 months, all three girls noticed their fellow Individuals compete of their sports activities.

Forward of the golf match that begins Wednesday morning, Korda, Vu and Zhang detailed their experiences to this point 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 do this in individual was undoubtedly a bucket checklist factor.”

Picture by Maddie Meyer/Getty Photographs

“All of us went to see a few occasions,” Zhang mentioned. “We went to observe swimming on Saturday evening and typically, I’m simply feeling actually good vibes once I’m out right here. We bought to observe the boys’s a little bit bit, and it’s been a cool expertise to this point.”

Watching the opposite occasions made Vu notice this was not a dream however a actuality. She is among the three Workforce USA Olympians for girls’s golf. Together with her damage earlier this 12 months, it was unsure if she would even be in Paris.

“It hit me after we went to observe swimming the opposite evening,” 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 bought to cheer for him.

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

Picture by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Photographs

“We watched it so much, 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 do this on the Olympic stage is a dream come true.”

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

“We at all times 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 should not,” Korda famous. My dad and my brother might or might not be. So we’ve 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 US appears to be a privilege.

“The Olympics is such a unique stage by way of representing your nation,” Zhang mentioned. “Everyone seems to be tuning in to observe and supporting. It’s at all times an actual nice honor for us athletes, and I feel it’s the very best regard or normal for us to have the ability to signify 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 girls appear to be having fun with each second of it.

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

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