Lydia Ko, Youngest Ever Recipient of the Highest Civilian Medal

New Zealand Government Recognizes 'Women Knight' Title Equally
Olympic Gold Medal and Hall of Fame Induction Honors
"An Opportunity Not Given to Just Anyone. A Great Honor"

Lydia Ko (New Zealand) has been awarded the highest civilian honor, Dame Companion, by the New Zealand government.

Lydia Ko

On the 30th (local time), the American sports media ESPN reported, "The honor Lydia Ko received is equivalent to a female knighthood. Lydia Ko is the youngest ever to receive this honor." According to New Zealand media Stuff, the previous youngest recipients of this honor were British yacht racer Ellen MacArthur at age 28, New Zealand swimmer Sophie Pascoe, and yacht racer Naomi James at age 29. Lydia Ko, born in 1997, is 27 years old.

Lydia Ko has been called a golf prodigy since childhood. She won the gold medal in the women's golf event at this year's Paris Olympics and also claimed victory at the major tournament AIG Women's Open, earning induction into the Golf Hall of Fame. Lydia Ko, who also received an honor from the New Zealand government in 2019, has now been awarded a higher grade of the honor after five years. In interviews with local New Zealand media, she expressed her joy, saying, "Such a great honor is an opportunity that does not come to just anyone, so it is even more meaningful."

The New Zealand Herald introduced, "The word 'youngest' appears 54 times on Lydia Ko's Wikipedia page." Lydia Ko began setting records as the youngest professional tournament winner by winning the New South Wales Open at age 14 in 2012, followed by the youngest winner of a U.S. Women's Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour event the same year, the youngest world number one and major winner in 2015, and this year, the youngest inductee into the Golf Hall of Fame.