Park In-bee wins first women’s gold medal in Olympic golf in 116 years

Park In-bee wins first women’s gold medal in Olympic golf in 116 years. August. 22, 2016 07:07. by 김종석기자 kjs0123@donga.com. Some asked her why she wanted to play in the Olympics though her condition is not good, while others even told her that she should rather give up her spot to younger players. It was only a month ago.

Park In-bee, however, did not give up. Instead, she said she would choose a “thorny path.” People were doubtful. But Park believed in herself. Though she couldn't practice a lot due to her weak wrists, she got up at 5 a.m. and swung a golf club until late for the past two months. Thanks to her hard work and practice, she finally sang the Korean national anthem at the highest place of the winners’ podium at the Olympics. She got emotional but no tears. After wearing a gold medal, she said calmly, “I poured all my energy into this Olympic event.”

Park won the first women's gold medal in Olympic golf with a total score of 16-under 268 (66-66-70-66) at the par-71, 6,245-yard Olympic Golf Course in Rio, becoming the first women’s golf champion since the 1900 Paris Olympics. She has also become the first to achieve the “golden career Grand Slam” in golf by winning at least one major title and an Olympic gold medal. “It was a tough journey, but I did something that looked impossible," Park said. "I've earned something that is more valuable than anything else.”