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Snowboarder Kim Sang-kyum secures silver medal for Korea at Milan-Cortina Games

Published: 09 Feb. 2026, 09:09

Silver medallist Kim Sang-kyum celebrates on the podium after the Men's Parallel Giant Slalom in Livigno, Italy, Feb. 8. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Alpine snowboarder Kim Sang-kyum captured a shocking silver medal in the men's parallel giant slalom for Korea's first medal at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Sunday.

After winning his first two knockout races when his opponents failed to cross the finish line, Kim defeated Tervel Zamfirov of Bulgaria by 0.23 seconds in the semifinals before losing to Benjamin Karl of Austria by 0.19 seconds in the final at Livigno Snow Park in Livigno, Italy.

Kim, 37-years-old, became just the second Korean to win an Olympic snowboarding medal, joining the 2018 parallel giant slalom silver medalist Lee Sang-ho.

Lee lost to Andreas Prommegger of Austria by 0.17 seconds in the round of 16 on Sunday.

Kim's medal was Korea's 400th medal in its Olympic history, winter and summer combined, and its 80th Winter Games medal.

The parallel giant slalom competition began earlier Sunday with the qualification stage, where the top 16 athletes based on combined times from two runs — one each on the blue and the red courses — advanced to the knockout round.

Each knockout race featured two boarders riding side-by-side down the slope, with the winner moving on to the next round.

Silver medalist Kim Sang-kyum, center, celebrates after the men's snowboarding parallel giant slalom finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Feb. 8. [AP/YONHAP]

Kim was the eighth-best qualifier and won his first knockout race in the round of 16 when Zan Kosir of Slovenia fell and did not finish his run.

In the quarterfinals, Kim ran into Roland Fischnaller of Italy, who came in ranked No. 1 in the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) World Cup standings this season. Kim was gifted another unlikely victory as Fischnaller lost his balance and failed to complete his race.

Kim then held off Zamfirov to book a ticket to the final, where he fell short against Karl, who claimed his second straight gold medal and his fourth medal overall.

Kim competed on the blue course for the entirety of the knockout round. In the qualification stage, Kim had only the 18th-fastest time on the blue course with 43.74 seconds.

Lee, going for his second career Olympic medal, finished sixth in the qualification, but he lost to Andreas Prommegger of Austria by 0.17 seconds in the round of 16.

From left, silver medalist Kim Sang-kyum, gold medalist Austria's Benjamin Karl and bronze medalist Bulgaria's Tervel Zamfirov bite their medals after the men's snowboarding parallel giant slalom finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Feb. 8. [AP/YONHAP]

Kim will go down as one of the unlikeliest Olympic medalists for Korea in any sport. This was his fourth Olympic Games, but he had never finished higher than 15th and had only reached the knockout phase once.

Kim also has no FIS World Cup victory, with only a runner-up finish and a third-place finish under his belt. He has competed at nine world championships without reaching the podium.

He arrived in Italy at No. 20 in the FIS World Cup standings this season.

Korean President Lee Jae Myung offered his congratulations to the snowboarder.

"Kim had spent years trudging up and down harsh, snow-covered slopes, honing his form and fine-tuning his equipment for a race lasting just over a minute, often decided by less than a second," said Lee in a Facebook post.

“This medal is even more meaningful because it is the 400th medal in Korea’s Olympic history,” Lee wrote. “It is also the second silver medal Korea has won in snow sports, clearly showing that Korea is rising as a country with competitiveness not only in ice sports but also in snow events.”

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG, YONHAP [[email protected]]