Famous final round brings Henseleit surprising silver
It's the first German medal in golf: Esther Henseleit surprisingly wins silver in the Olympic tournament. With a strong third day, she kept her minimal chance of a podium finish and utilized it in the end. Gold goes to New Zealand's Lydia Ko, former world number one.
Golfer Esther Henseleit surprisingly won the silver medal at the Olympics. The 25-year-old from Hamburg stormed the field with a brilliant final round on the Par-72 course of Club Le Golf National on the outskirts of Paris. She improved by 11 places with just 66 shots on the last day.
With a total of 280 shots and eight under par, world number 54 Henseleit finished only two behind new Olympic champion Lydia Ko from New Zealand (278). This is the first German Olympic medal in women's golf in four tournaments. No medal has been won by men in five tournaments.
Starting on the 13th day, Henseleit played six under par with seven birdies and one bogey in the final round. Former world number one Ko, who completed her medal set with silver in 2016 in Rio and bronze in 2021 in Tokyo, could not catch up with Henseleit. Bronze went to China's Janet Xiyu Lin (281 shots).
Henseleit's silver medal is a surprise. Although she is currently the best German golfer, she has not been in the running for a tournament win this year. Her last win was on the European Tour in Kenya in February 2022. The second German starter, Alexandra Foersterling (Berlin), finished the Olympic golf tournament with a total of 292 shots in 35th place.
Henseleit's stunning achievement at the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris will undoubtedly be remembered. With her silver medal, she becomes the first German golfer to win a medal in the Olympics since its introduction in the golf event.
