Beyond the proverbial thrills of victory and agonies in defeat, the Olympics also provide valuable life lessons and 2024 in Paris is no exception.

There may not be a better and higher-profile example than American gymnast Simone Biles' conversations about her mental health from Tokyo all the way through her tremendous Games this summer, and the world's No. 1 women's golfer is bringing her bigger picture thoughts from the tour to the Olympics on Wednesday.

Nelly Korda shot a 72 on Day 1 of women's golf at the 2024 Paris Olympics, well off the minus-7 from hometown hero Celine Boutier. But she's feeling good in general thanks to great atmosphere at Le Golf National as well as a previous break from the game that's allowed her to focus on what matters most.

"It feels nice when you're in a groove, but when you play under pressure and you're in the final group, and you feel the emotions that you do, it takes a toll on you mentally," Korda said after the round.

"I wrapped it up at the beginning of the year, and with all these big events in the middle of the year, it feels like I pretty much played five majors in a row, and my next event is a major. It's just a lot. So just trying to take a mental break is also nice. But a lot of people don't see what we do when we are not at tournaments and I practice a lot. I work out in the gym, and I just try to stay sharp that way."

Korda, 26, is part of a huge sports family that understands pressure. Her parents are former professional tennis players, her brother plays tennis on the ATP tour, and her older sister competes with her on the LPGA Tour.

So her support group is, as they ought to be, quite supportive. And family's been big for her during the busy times and the breaks, like the one she took for several weeks earlier this year.

"Burnouts are very easy," Korda said. "It's easy to just push through it and just tell yourself, you know, ‘Just grind it out’. But as important as it is to grind it out, it's important to put your clubs away and just be a regular human being.

"For me, it was like I finally realized that everything that I did at the start of the year, I kind of enjoyed it a little bit more with my family. I realized how big of an accomplishment that is, and that life and golf and everything is such a roller-coaster that it's good to step away and appreciate the whole journey."

Korda, of course, knows plenty about the aforementioned thrills of victory, having won gold in Tokyo. She's well-prepared to make a run in Paris as she eyes Boutier's top spot. The silver medal pace is closer (4-under) and bronze is two strokes away from Korda.