Chinese golfer Lin Xiyu expressed her immense joy at earning the women's golf bronze medal at the Paris Olympics on Saturday and shared her emotional journey to achieving victory in tough competition.
After becoming the second Chinese golfer to win an Olympic medal, following Feng Shanshan's success at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Lin showed her satisfaction with her performance in Paris.
"I feel quite amazing. I knew I had a chance today, but I knew it was going to be a very tough battle. I didn't have the best start I was asked for, so I'm very proud of myself for the way I fought back in the end. It's good enough to win a medal, and that's even better. So I am overwhelmed right now," Lin said in an interview after her win.
Lin moved up four places in the final 18 holes of the competition, attributing her success to staying consistent despite a slow start. She acknowledged the difficulty of the game but she battled back in the final round and secure the third place.
"I was a little disappointed when I saw I was so far behind. But then I said to myself that I've been playing very consistently all week, and I think, on the back nine, that consistency is going to be a very good weapon. So I just needed to keep doing what I've been doing. I also stopped looking at the scoreboard. I just wanted to play my own golf. I have a good game plan, I executed it really well, and then it ended up being good enough to give me a medal," said the Chinese golfer.
Lin also revealed that she learned a lot from Feng, the first Chinese golfer standing on the Olympic podium, and shared their memorable conversation before Lin left for Paris this summer.
"I got to talk to Shanshan right before I left for Paris. I was explaining my anxiety and said, 'I don't know what to expect here.' Then she just asked me one question, said, 'If this is your third Olympics or last Olympics, what kind of finish you think you'll be satisfied with yourself?' And I thought about it and said, 'Well, a medal, of course.' And then she said, 'Then that's the goal. We have nothing to lose. We have to keep grinding it out.' Nothing is going to be in the way when I am fully focused on this target, and I think that was a really important conversation," said Lin.
Chinese golfer Lin Xiyu expresses joy after winning bronze at Paris Olympics
