Lydia Ko has had her share of battles in her professional career. The pro golfer once spoke about her struggles with fat shaming and how she bounced back. However, not everyone was supporting her in her journey. She still chose to rise above and battled strongly against the toxicity that comes with being in the public eye.

Lydia is a Korean-born New Zealand professional golfer. A former No. 1-ranked woman professional golfer, she achieved the top ranking on 2 February 2015 at just 17, making her the youngest player ever to be ranked No. 1 in professional golf.

How Lydia Ko struggled with fat shaming

Lydia Ko and her determination to the game of golf is probably an inspiration to people of all age groups. The talented pro golfer’s rise to world no. 1 at just 17 is definitely something that gives hope to the younger generation about the significance of hard work in achieving success.

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However, life has not always been all too easy for Ko. She has, for one, faced her share of battles and surmounted them with finesse. The pro golfer lost around 15 pounds in 2018 by following a cardio regimen.

She was not far behind in sharing how she felt post the transformation. She said, “I don’t feel bloated, which I think is a huge thing. I’m trying to gain more muscle and lose a bit of the unnecessary fat. Everybody seems like they are hitting it longer and longer.”

Although, not everyone reacted optimistically to this news. Juli Inkster, a seven-time major winner and an ex-Golf Channel commentator, had other opinions. During an interview, she said, “Looks like she needs to go to the buffet counter a little bit.” To this, Golf Channel analyst Judy Rankin replied, “We all want to see five more pounds on Lydia.”

This was heavily objected to by fans only. Inkster responded to the heavy criticism. She said, “I kid her all the time…don’t take things so seriously. We are a family out here. We care for each other.”

However, this response was not widely accepted and questions were raised on both the tour and the people who made the statement.

How did Lydia bounce back?

With time, Ko also decided to respond to the ongoing issue. She said, “Been getting a lot of comments about weight loss. To everyone that’s worrying, I haven’t lost any weight since last year, and actually have gained a couple of kilos! Always appreciate y’all looking out for me, and thinking of me. I’ll keep working at it and come back stronger than ever!”

This response was made through an Instagram story where Ko decided to speak her side of the story. The pro golfer took control in her own hands and respectfully made it clear to people commenting on her body online.

Celebrities are no strangers to facing body image-related issues because of a multitude of reasons. However, constantly being in the limelight and facing criticism that comes with it, probably, does contribute to it.

Ko, however, remains to be the same strong and hard-working person who became the youngest-ever player to ascend to world No. 1, and held it for 108 weeks.