87.5 points in Olympic halfpipe final
First to land a four-and-a-half-rotation run after early mistakes
Totsuka, James, and Yamada take gold, silver, and bronze
Lee Chaewoon of Kyung Hee University, the leading athlete in Korea's men's snowboard halfpipe, came face to face with the height of the world-class barrier.
On February 13 (local time), at the Livigno Snowpark in Italy, he scored 87.5 points to finish sixth in the men's snowboard halfpipe final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Lee, the 2023 World Championship gold medalist, had aimed for a medal at these Games but fell short of his goal. Yuto Totsuka of Japan (95 points), Scotty James of Australia (93.5 points), and Ryusei Yamada of Japan (92 points) took first through third place.
After consecutive mistakes in his first and second runs of the final, which prevented him from completing his full routines, Lee delivered a successful performance in his last, third run by cleanly landing the "triple cork 1620" he had honed with the Olympics in mind. Lee is the first rider in the world to land this four-and-a-half-rotation trick in competition.
Lee Chaeun is performing a spectacular jump in the men's snowboard halfpipe final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Livigno=Yonhap News
Lee waited anxiously for his score, praying earnestly, and when 87.5 points appeared, he could not hide his disappointment. As he greeted teammates and officials, he broke into tears. "I worked so hard it felt like tears of blood were flowing, but I realized how high the world-class barrier is," he said with regret. Lee, who confessed, "I expected around 92 or 92.5 points for my third run," reflected, "I think it just came down to my own shortcomings."
He continued, "I am proud of myself just for being the first to land a triple cork 1620. I'm disappointed, but I also feel relieved," adding, "Right after the landing on my third run, my first thought was that I had overcome the pressure and done it. Jake Pates of the United States told me, 'You should be first. In my heart, you are number one,' and that really eased my mind."
Lee added, "All season long I made the World Cup finals but couldn't put down a proper run, so it was burdensome and tough. I am proud of myself simply for overcoming that and doing everything I could."
At the 2022 Beijing Games, Lee barely qualified for the Olympics and finished 18th in the qualifiers, failing to reach the final. At these Games, he became the first Korean male athlete ever to advance to an Olympic snowboard halfpipe final.
Lee Chaewun looked disappointed as his score was announced after completing his third run in the men's snowboard halfpipe final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Livigno = Yonhap News
Born in April 2006, Lee was not yet 16 years old at the Beijing Games four years ago, and he is still not yet 20 now. "I truly worked as hard as I could preparing for this Olympics, but it seems it was only enough for me," he said. "If tears of blood are not enough, I will shed blood, sweat, and tears. For the next Olympics, I will train as if I am dead. I will work even harder so that I can stand on the very top of the podium."
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