Can’t Stop the Feeling
There might be 60 players from all over the world competing at the Olympic Games, but one thing remains constant across the board: excitement.
Miriam Nagl, representing Brazil, is from Curitiba just 800 kilometers south of Rio. Rallying behind her this week as she tees off in the 2016 Olympics Games will be her parents, brother and daughter.
RICOH Women’s British Open Champion Ariya Jutanugarn has every right to be confident heading into the Olympics. A shot at gold in Rio is something that has Jutanugarn feeling really excited, but that doesn’t rule out the sweet taste of winning a major championship.
At age 16, Sei Young Kim caught wind that golf would be back in the Olympics and decided it would be her goal to qualify over the next four years. With a lot of practice and determination, Kim will finally compete on a platform that “means a lot” to her.
For Korea’s Amy Yang, it’s been a combination of nerves and excitement upon arriving in Brazil. Yang was able to watch some of the men’s competition and can hardly wait for her turn to tee off.
Inbee Park is one name we haven’t seen a lot of since she qualified for the Hall of Fame. After a lot of rest, rehab and finding her groove again over the last two months, Park has experienced the warmest of welcomes in Rio. In her own words, she feels like she’s back where she belongs and certainly “very happy to be back.”
Mexico’s Gaby Lopez describes the Olympics as “the biggest experience” of her life representing Mexico and wearing the Mexican flag colors. The road to Rio for Lopez has been “a dream come true, for sure” – one that sends chills up and down her spine.
For the Flag
“I think everybody feels pretty lucky that we are here representing South Korea. Obviously competing against all the best in the world, in the Olympic Games, what we've never done before, it's such a special feeling.” – Inbee Park
“I hope to be on the team again, but when I leave here on Monday, I want to say that I experienced everything I wanted to experience and had a great time and didn't hold anything back on the golf course, and also be a part of bigger Team Canada and cheer the other athletes on, and really enjoy the experience of being on a team.” – Alena Sharp
“Ever since golf became part of the Olympic Games, we said it, we want to be there together and we did it. So it's such an honor to be representing Spain and be with Carlota here.” – Azahara Munoz
“It is very special, because in Korea, a lot of amateurs for golf, they want to be professional on the LPGA. But like SeRiPak and a lot of players already did great and already did a lot of wins. I want to make a little more special. It is a little different than a normal tournament, so that's why I want to play here in this. That's the reason a lot of people are very focused on this tournament and all the Koreans really are excited to watch this tournament.” – Sei Young Kim
“I've been super excited since they announced in 2009, and to know that right now, in a couple days, I can officially be an Olympian. I think it's amazing. I would have never imagined myself to be in this position. I've always looked and watched the Olympics. But to know that there are people that are going to watch me compete in the Olympics, I think is just a great feeling and just a huge honor to represent New Zealand.” – Lydia Ko
“It seems every time Canada gets a medal, it's very exciting, and like you said, the women have been doing extremely well. I hope to add to that medal count, and I'm sure that Alena does, too, and I hope that both of us are standing on the podium at the end of this.” – Brooke Henderson
Course Descriptors
“Beautiful”
“In great shape”
“Long”
“Hard greens”
“Fast”
“Slopey”
“Amazing”
“A good track”
“Tough”
“Firm”
“A challenge”
“Different”
“Easy when calm”
“Difficult with wind”
Village Vibes
The Olympic Village is something unlike any means of housing. In essence, it’s being described as one massive arrangement where thousands of athletes gather to eat, sleep, workout, socialize and enjoy each other’s company.
“It just comes down to golf but everything around it is such a cool experience. Just being in the village and seeing all other athletes, working out in the gym next to athletes from all other kind of sports, it's a once‑in‑a‑lifetime kind of thing.” – Pernilla Lindberg
“Well, I'm not staying at the village this week, but on Saturday, the day I arrived, I got to go to the village and meet a couple of the athletes and eat at the food area. And they said it's the second biggest tent in the world, so I would love to see the first, what the biggest tent in the world is.” – Lydia Ko
Athletes Galore
It isn’t just the golf and representing your home country that makes the Olympic atmosphere special. It’s also being surrounded by thousands of other athletes who are the best at what they do. To see Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt and Simone Biles in passing is something not many get to experience. Azahara Munoz, in particular, was impressed by the size of world-renowned Usain Bolt up close.
“We saw Usain Bolt going by. That really impressed me. I know he's big and you see on TV how big he is, but he is massive. So I don't know, it's just something different that we've never experienced, and I'm really happy we got the opportunity.” – Azahara Munoz
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