"Thrilling Comeback" Choi Gaon Wins Korea's First Snow Gold... "Turning Misfortune into a Miracle" (Comprehensive)

Winter Olympic Snowboard Halfpipe Champion
Injury on First-Run Landing, Stunning Comeback in Final Run
Historic First-Ever Gold Medal in the History of Korean Skiing
Chloe Kim’s Bid for Third Straight Olympic Title Ends with a “Satisfying” Silver

It could not have been more thrilling. High school snowboarder Choi Gaon (17, Sehwa Girls' High School) completed a stunning comeback drama after overcoming injury. Limping, she stood tall on the very top of the podium.

On February 12 (local time), at the Livigno Snowpark in Italy, Choi Gaon scored 90.25 points in her third and final run of the women’s halfpipe final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, overtaking Chloe Kim of the United States (88.00 points) and Ono Mitsuki of Japan (85.00 points) to claim the title. This was the first gold medal for the Korean delegation at these Winter Olympics, and also the first-ever Winter Olympic gold medal in the history of Korean skiing.

Choi Gaon is celebrating on the podium after winning the gold medal in the women's snowboard halfpipe at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics held at the Livigno Snowpark in Italy. Livigno = Yonhap News

Born in November 2008, Choi Gaon broke the record for the youngest gold medalist in this event, which had been set by Chloe Kim at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics (17 years and 10 months), by winning at 17 years and 3 months. Korean skiing began its Olympic medal history when Lee Sangho won silver in the men’s snowboard alpine at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, followed by Kim Sanggyom’s silver in the men’s snowboard alpine at this Olympics, and Yoo Seungeun’s bronze in the women’s snowboard big air.

It was a dramatic victory. Heavy snow was falling at Livigno Snowpark that day. Many of the competitors fell and could not complete their runs. In her first run, Choi Gaon fell while attempting her second jump. She crashed hard near the edge, failed the landing, and remained down for a while, prompting medical staff to come in and check her condition.

Choi Gaon is performing a spectacular jump during the third run of the women's snowboard halfpipe final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics at Livigno Snowpark in Italy. Livigno=Yonhap News

Fortunately, Choi Gaon sat for a moment, then got up and slid down the slope. Her score for the first run of the final was 10.00 points, placing her ninth among the 12 finalists. Before the second run, the scoreboard briefly showed that she would not start, raising concerns about her physical condition. Returning to the start gate, Choi Gaon attempted her second run but fell again. Because her score was lower than the 10.00 points from her first run, it was not displayed.

She completed her comeback in the final run. Going into the third run, she was in 11th place among the 12 finalists, still standing on the 10.00 points from her first run. Taking into account her physical condition and the snowy course conditions, Choi Gaon opted not to attempt ultra-high-difficulty tricks of 1080 degrees or more. Instead, she executed 900-degree and 720-degree spins and finished her third run, earning a high score of 90.25 points. She was the only competitor to break the 90-point barrier.

Choi Gaon is falling while landing during the first run of the women's snowboard halfpipe final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics at Livigno Snowpark in Italy. Photo by Reuters/Yonhap

After winning the gold medal, Choi Gaon said in an interview, "When I fell in the first run, I thought I had broken something. Then, in that moment, the strength came back to me and I stood up," describing what had happened. She added, "I had never fallen like that in practice, but I kept making mistakes because I was nervous," and continued with a big smile, "I am so happy that I was still able to produce such a good result."

Snowboard halfpipe is an event in which athletes ride down an inclined, semi-cylindrical slope while performing aerial tricks. Judges score the runs based on difficulty, height, execution, variety, and creativity to determine the rankings. The maximum score is 100.00 points. In the final, the best score out of three runs determines the color of the medal.

Choi Gaon took up snowboarding at the age of seven, influenced by her father, who enjoyed snowboarding as a hobby. She first learned figure skating after watching "figure skating queen" Kim Yuna, but then fell in love with snowboarding and began her career as an athlete. From a young age, she was called a "snowboard prodigy." She drew worldwide attention by becoming the youngest winner (14 years and 3 months) in the pipe event at the 2023 X Games, a world-renowned extreme sports competition. In early 2024, she competed in a World Cup event in Laax, Switzerland, but fractured her back during training and underwent surgery. After dedicating herself to rehabilitation for a year, she made a complete comeback.

Gold medalist Choi Gaon (center) posed with medals alongside 2nd-place Kim Chloe (left) and 3rd-place Ono Mitsuki at the women's snowboard halfpipe medal ceremony held at the Livigno Snowpark in Italy during the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Photo by Yonhap News

Choi Gaon was a strong favorite to win this tournament. She claimed three victories in the 2025-2026 season FIS (International Ski and Snowboard Federation) Snowboard World Cup, raising expectations for an Olympic medal. She scored over 90 points in all three World Cup events. In the women’s halfpipe qualifying round held the previous day, she advanced comfortably to the final by placing sixth out of 24 competitors with 82.25 points, and on this day she made the most of her last chance to write a new chapter in the history of Korean skiing. The moment her gold medal was confirmed, Choi Gaon broke into tears of joy.

Chloe Kim, who was aiming for a third consecutive Olympic title, had to settle for silver. She had maintained first place through the second run, but after being pushed down to second, she went into her third and final run and fell again midway, failing to reclaim the lead. Although Chloe Kim, who had recently missed competitions due to a shoulder injury, made it to the Olympic stage, she could not overcome the barrier posed by Choi Gaon’s "golden performance."