Winter Olympics Snowboard Halfpipe Qualifiers: 82 Points
James, Totsuka, Yamada Take 1st to 3rd
Final Scheduled for 3:40 a.m. on February 14, Korea Standard Time
Lee Chaewoon of Kyung Hee University, the leading rider in the men's snowboard halfpipe, has advanced to the final.
On February 11 (local time), Lee scored 82 points in the men's halfpipe qualifiers for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, held at the Livigno Snowpark in Italy, finishing 9th overall and earning a spot in the final.
In halfpipe, judges score aerial performances executed on an inclined semi-cylindrical slope while riding a snowboard, and determine the rankings based on those scores. At this Olympics, the better of the scores from the first and second qualifying runs was taken as the final result, and the top 12 riders advanced to the final.
Lee Chaewoon is competing in the men's snowboard halfpipe qualifying at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, showcasing high-difficulty tricks. Livigno, Italy = Yonhap News
Born in 2006, Lee became the youngest-ever champion in the men's halfpipe at the World Championships in March 2023, winning the title at the age of 16 years and 10 months. At the 2022 Beijing Games, he competed as the youngest member of the Korean delegation and finished 18th among 25 riders in the qualifiers, missing out on the 12-man final, but his second Olympic challenge was different. In his first run on this day, he performed a series of four full rotations and simultaneously showcased a grab trick, earning 82 points.
Lee Jio of Yangpyeong High School, who competed alongside Lee, recovered from a mistake in his first run and scored 74 points in his second run to place 13th. He missed the final by a narrow margin of 1.5 points, edged out by Jake Pates of the United States, who finished 12th with 75.5 points. Kim Gunhee of Siheung Maehwa High School, who won gold in the halfpipe at the Harbin Winter Asian Games last year, made mistakes in both of his runs and failed to reach the final.
Scotty James of Australia, who won bronze in the men's halfpipe at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games and silver at the 2022 Beijing Games, scored 94 points in his first run to advance to the final in first place overall. Japan's Yuto Totsuka ranked second with 91.25 points, and Ryusei Yamada took third with 90.25 points. The final in this event, in which Lee Chaewoon will compete, will be held at 3:30 a.m. on February 14, Korea Standard Time.
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