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After years of laboring for his love, snowboarder Kim Sang-kyum shreds his way to silver

Published: 09 Feb. 2026, 17:17 Updated: 09 Feb. 2026, 19:09

Snowboarder Kim Sang-kyum bows during the medal ceremony of the men’s parallel giant slalom event of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics at the Livigno Snow Park in Italy on Feb. 8. [KIM JONG-HO]

LIVIGNO — Kim Sang-kyum spent most of his adult life training almost every day of the year and working day jobs on the side. The dedication paid off for the 37-year-old, who finally stood on the podium in his fourth Olympics.

The silver medal came at the Livigno Snow Park in Italy on Sunday, with Kim finishing second in the men’s parallel giant slalom, delivering Korea’s first medal of the Milan–Cortina Winter Olympics. Austria’s Benjamin Karl, the defending champion, took gold, but the result resonated far beyond the standings.

After the race, officials, coaches and athletes from other countries approached Kim one by one, offering congratulations. Many lingered as they shook his hand.

They had watched him chase this result for years.

Kim is the elder statesman of Korean snowboarding. He first emerged as a national prospect in 2011, winning gold at the Winter Universiade. Since then, he has appeared at every Winter Olympics since: Sochi in 2014, PyeongChang in 2018, Beijing in 2022 and now Milan–Cortina. Until Sunday, the Olympic podium had remained out of reach.

He failed to advance past qualifying in Sochi and Beijing. At PyeongChang, competing on home snow, he exited in the round of 16. The world’s biggest stage repeatedly reminded him how thin the margins were.

Kim Sang-kyum, left, winner of the silver medal, hugs Austria's Benjamin Karl, winner of the gold medal, in the men's snowboarding parallel giant slalom finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Livigno, Italy, on Feb. 8. [AP/YONHAP]

That history weighed on him.

“This was my fourth Olympics, so I really wanted to win a medal,” Kim said after the race. “I kept waiting for the day when I could finally show everything I had prepared. That day turned out to be today.”

The pressure nearly overwhelmed him before the final run.

“Standing at the top of the slope before the final, I felt like I was going to cry,” he said. “But I still had to race, so I held it in. I shouted to steady myself. On the podium, I thought about everyone who supported me and bowed deeply to them.”

The tears came later, during the interview, as memories surfaced.

Snowboarder Kim Sang-kyum celebrates after securing a spot in the final during the men’s parallel giant slalom semifinals at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics at the Livigno Snow Park in Italy on Feb. 8. [KIM JONG-HO]

In his 20s, Kim faced a reality familiar to many athletes in nonmainstream sports. He wanted to keep snowboarding, but he had no permanent team or financial backing. Most elite competitions take place in Europe or North America, with airfare and lodging costing millions of won each trip. Training expenses piled on top of that.

With limited skills outside of his sport and almost no free time, Kim took work wherever he could find it.

“I train about 300 days a year,” he said. “That meant I could only work on weekends, and there weren’t many [regular] jobs that fit.”

So he turned to day labor.

“I worked construction,” Kim said. “Apartments, factories — wherever the job office sent me, I went.”

“It was hard physically and mentally,” he added. “But I endured it because I wanted to keep boarding.”

Snowboarder Kim Sang-kyum, winner of the silver medal in the men’s parallel giant slalom, celebrates during the medal ceremony at the Livigno Snow Park at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy on Feb. 8. [KIM JONG-HO]

Family, more than medals or rankings, ultimately broke his composure.

Kim's parents supported him from childhood. Because he was born with asthma, they initially encouraged him to try track and field. Once he entered middle school, they backed his decision to fully pursue snowboarding. His wife, Park Han-sol, whom he married in 2023, has remained a constant presence despite his long stretches overseas.

“Whenever someone mentions my parents, I start crying,” Kim said with a pause. “They worried about me a lot.”

He smiled as he continued.

“Sometimes I even snapped and said to them, ‘Then why did you let me do sports in the first place?’ People say no parent can ever beat their child's will.”

“I haven’t been able to be a good son,” he said. “I’m going to take this medal home and hug them tightly.”

Kim also credited his wife for helping him endure the long road.

“I had some luck throughout the race today,” he said. “But the greatest stroke of luck in my life was marrying my wife. I really want to thank her.”

Gold medallist Benjamin Karl of Austria, center, silver medallist Kim Sang-kyum of Korea, left, and bronze medallist Tervel Zamfirov of Bulgaria bite their medals during the ceremony for the men's parallel giant slalom at the Livigno Snow Park in Italy on Feb. 8. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Many Olympians compete three or four times. Few arrive at their fourth Games still chasing a first medal — and fewer still find it.

Kim did, refusing to let go of a career that demanded constant sacrifice and offered no guarantees. And even now, he says, he is not ready to stop.

“This isn’t the end,” he said. “As long as my body holds up, I want to keep snowboarding. I’d like to go to the Olympics maybe two more times.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KO BONG-JUN [[email protected]]