'Two Records' High School Snowboarder Choi Gaon Wins Korea's First Snow Gold... 'Creating a Miracle'

Winter Olympic Snowboard Halfpipe Champion
From First-Run Injury to Last-Run Comeback
Historic First-Ever Gold Medal in Korean Skiing

'High school snowboarder' Choi Gaon (17, Sehwa Girls' High School) has won the first Winter Olympic gold medal in Korean skiing history.

On the 12th (local time), in the third and final run of the women's halfpipe final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics held at Livigno Snowpark in Italy, Choi Gaon scored 90.25 points to take the top spot, beating Chloe Kim of the United States (88.00 points) and Ono Mitsuki of Japan (85.00 points).

Choi Gaon is in tears after her gold medal was confirmed in the women's snowboard halfpipe final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics held at Livigno Snowpark in Italy. Livigno=Yonhap News

She captured the Korean delegation's first gold medal of these Winter Olympics and also became the first-ever Korean skier to win a Winter Olympic gold. Born in November 2008, Choi Gaon broke the youngest gold medal record in this event set by Chloe Kim at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics (17 years and 10 months), winning at the age of 17 years and 3 months.

It was a dramatic victory. Heavy snow was falling at Livigno Snowpark that day, and many competitors fell and failed to complete their runs. In her first run, Choi Gaon fell while attempting her second jump. She crashed hard near the edge and failed to land, remaining down on the course for a while as medical staff came in to check her condition.

Fortunately, Choi Gaon sat for a moment, then stood up and made her way down the slope. Her score for the first run of the final was 10 points, leaving her in ninth place among the 12 finalists. Returning to the start gate, Choi Gaon attempted her second run but fell again. The score was lower than the 10 points she received in the first run and was not announced. She completed a come-from-behind drama in her last attempt. In the third run, she executed five aerial tricks flawlessly and became the only competitor to break the 90-point barrier.