Like most of the athletes in this week’s Olympic field, Nelly Korda grew up dreaming of winning major championship titles. She watched both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games with her uber-talented and tight-knit family, but never thought she’d be the one wearing a gold medal.
Yet, now here she is in Paris, a two-time major champion and two-time Olympian looking for a second gold medal.
“Doesn’t really feel like I’m defending,” she said of competing for gold in a different country three years later. “I’m just going to go out, enjoy the experience. Hopefully enjoy the fans. The men had amazing fans out here. I was wowed by how many people are out here watching and just happy that I’m back in this position. I’m here representing my country. I’m a two-time Olympian and I’m living out my dream.”
Here are five things to know about World No. 1 Nelly Korda, a six-time winner on the LPGA this season, as she prepares to take on Le Golf National at the 2024 Summer Games:
Family firsts
Sebastian Korda celebrates after defeating Flavio Cobolli of Italy to win the mens singles finals match on the final day of the Mubadala Citi DC Open 2024. (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
When it comes to good vibes, Korda has plenty coming into Paris with younger brother Sebastian winning on the ATP Tour over the weekend and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler taking gold on the men’s side.
Sebastian, the youngest of the Kordas’ three children, could’ve joined Nelly in Paris representing the U.S. tennis team but opted not to compete. The Olympics are staged in between Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, and many of tennis’ top-ranked players are skipping the Games to prepare for the next Grand Slam.
On Sunday night, Sebastian clinched the Mubadala Citi DC Open, 32 years after his father, Pedr, won the then-Sovran Bank Classic. They are the first father-son duo to win the same ATP Tour event.
The Kordas’ mom, Regina, competed in the 1988 Olympic Games, but Petr never did make an Olympic appearance.
“We always make fun of the boys because we say that the girls in the Korda family are the only ones that are the Olympians and the boys are not,” said Nelly, whose older sister Jessica, a one-time Olympian, is on maternity leave.
Fan for a day
Katie Ledecky of the United States competes in the Women’s 800m Freestyle Final at the 2024 Olympic Games Paris. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
In 2021, Korda was unable to take in any other sports during the pandemic but took advantage this time in Paris, catching Katie Ledecky win the 800m freestyle, something she first accomplished as a 15-year-old in London, then again in Rio and once more in Tokyo. Ledecky joins Michael Phelps as the only swimmers to four-peat in an individual Olympic event.
“That’s something that I watched as a kid was swimming and gymnastics,” said Korda, who also watched some relay races. “So getting to do that in person was definitely a bucket list thing.”
How she won in 2021
2021 Olympics
Nelly Korda celebrates with her gold medal on the podium after winning the women’s individual stroke play competition at the 2021 Tokyo Summer Games at Kasumigaseki Country Club. (Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports)
Three years ago in Tokyo, Korda edged Mone Inami and Lydia Ko by one stroke to become the first American female to win a medal in golf since 1900 when Margaret Abbott won gold in Paris.
After flirting with a 59 in the second round, Korda looked poised to run away with the title until a sloppy double-bogey on the seventh hole – where the ball rolled back toward her feet twice – dropped her into a tie for first during the final round with Ko and India’s Aditi Ashok.
“I think it kind of lit a fire inside of me to be honest,” said Korda of the double bogey. “I even snap-hooked my driver on eight. I was just very emotionally not in it then.”
Three consecutive birdies later, she was back in control until played was suspended due to dangerous weather conditions, with the last two groups on the reachable par-4 17th hole. Korda held a one-shot lead over Inami at the time and a two-shot advantage over Ko and Ashok when the horn blew.
Shortly after play resumed at 12:15 a.m. ET, Inami drained a birdie putt to pull even with Korda heading down the last hole. But after Inami failed to get up and down from a bunker on the 18th, Korda responded with par to secure a gold medal in her Olympic debut.
The rush of victory
2021 Olympics
Silver medalist Mone Inami of Japan, gold medalist Nelly Korda of the United States and bronze medalist Lydia Ko of New Zealand stand on the podium for the Women’s Individual Stroke Play golf competition at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games at Kasumigaseki Country Club. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
With no fans on the ground on Tokyo, it was a quiet victory, but the gravity of it all sunk in on the podium. Korda’s Whoop band tells the tale of what that medal ceremony meant to the top-ranked American.
