Since 2022, Lydia Ko has been focusing on her physical conditioning and performance structure to regain her world number one form. And Perform For Golf has been one of the important factors in her journey. Since early 2023, Ko has been a regular at the gym, focusing on her training. However, approximately a week ago, the gym members and Ko were struck by a curveball when Coach Kristoper Gallimore passed away. Now, the 3x major champion has offered her tributes to her gym mate and performance coach through social media.

Taking to Instagram, Ko shared a few visuals of herself training alongside Gallimore and wrote, “When the LPGA was on TV at the gym, Kris would tell his other clients to make sure to root for me. Losing someone you care about is one of the hardest things you can go through. Thank you, Kris. We will miss your drive, your kindness, and your love… we will miss all of you. You were a ray of sunshine to those around you. Rest in peace. ❤️”

Unlike her swing coaches and caddies, Gallimore’s presence was rooted more in Ko’s off-course life and away from the public eye. Their relationship wasn’t transactional or solely performance-driven. It was built on consistent and daily interaction. He seemed to be a part of Ko’s trusted inner circle, who helped her not only with her off-course training but also in bringing some of her intense competition pressure down.

Even during fun time away from the gym and intense practice sessions, Gallimore and Angus Lee, Ko’s performance coach, were the constants. A few years ago, she shared a picture of herself with Gallimore and Lee, captioned “Beast mode,” highlighting an off-course moment through her Instagram Stories.

Gallimore was a kind guy who ensured everyone around him felt uplifted, seen, heard, and loved. As a funny, caring, and charismatic personality, he carried a buzz of joy around him. His caring nature made the members of the gym mourn for him as they expressed appreciation for everything Gallimore gave them. However, the exact reason behind his passing is yet to be announced.

The philosophy of Lydia Ko’s gymmate

Gallimore excelled in multiple areas, including athletic development, sports performance, strength training, hypertrophy, prenatal fitness, tactical athletics, and the technicalities of football. He studied kinesiology at Ohio Wesleyan University and then became an NSCA-certified strength and conditioning specialist.

Speaking about his philosophy, the late coach said, “For me, exercise is the ultimate release! It’s helped me plan my day, do my accounting, or forget about all the things stressing me out. And I want to be able to provide that release for other people while also making them healthier. As I started coaching, I saw not only athletes suffering from recurring injuries but also the everyday population as well. From there, I decided that I wanted my clients to be healthy and durable.”

He had a history with martial arts and then moved to football at a young age. That’s how he got into exercise as a member of a family with diabetes, stroke, and hypertension. Later in his college life, he changed his major to exercise science and then changed his life for good. He got to work with various sportspersons. And one of them was, of course, Lydia Ko.

Now, as Ko remembers the friend she lost, the golf community has come together to mourn the untimely passing of Gallimore.