Ko finished off an impressive four-day performance to claim the silver medal.
While her No. 1 ranking made her favourite for gold, she battled back from an out-of-character first round to move all the way back up the leaderboard and secure second place with a clutch last putt.
However, she believes more success was achieved off the course.
"Even here in Brazil, golf isn't their main sport, but we saw a lot of Brazilian fans and we at least grew the game and made a difference."