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Snowboarder Choi Ga-on establishes herself as heir apparent to halfpipe queen Chloe Kim in Milan

Published: 13 Feb. 2026, 07:23 Updated: 13 Feb. 2026, 08:20

LEE JIAN
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Snowboarder Choi Ga-on, who won the women’s snowboard halfpipe final at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics held at the Livigno Snow Park in Italy, tears up as she stands on the podium with the gold medal around her neck on Feb. 13. [YONHAP]

Choi Ga-on clinched Korea’s first Olympic gold medal in snowboarding on Thursday, dethroning her role model, two-time Olympic champion Chloe Kim, in the women’s halfpipe final held at the Livigno Snow Park in Italy.

At just 17, she became the youngest snowboarder ever to win the event, claiming the title seven months younger than Kim was when she set the previous record.

Choi Ga-on competes in the women’s snowboard halfpipe final at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics held at the Livigno Snow Park in Italy on Feb. 13. [NEWS1]

Choi took off to a wobbly start, losing her balance while landing a cab 1080 during her first run and crashing into the halfpipe wall. She was also unable to successfully perform her tricks in the second run. But in the third, Choi opened strong by cleanly executing a switch backside 900 — two and a half rotations in the backside direction. She followed with a cab 720, a frontside 900 melon grab and a backside 900 stalefish. She capped off the run with a frontside 720 Indy grab.

That run gave her 90.25 points to claim the gold, edging out Kim of the United States, who posted 88.00 and took home a silver. Mitsuki Ono of Japan took bronze with a score of 85.00.

Halfpipe is a subcategory of snowboarding performed on a U-shaped structure. Athletes showcase aerial tricks by launching themselves from one side to the other, judged on height, difficulty, execution and overall flow.

The new champion's Olympic appearance came on the heels of a three-win streak at the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) Snowboard World Cup, with the latest event held on Jan. 18. The outcome had positioned her as a strong medal contender heading into the Olympics.

Choi began snowboarding at 7, reportedly influenced by her father, who snowboards as a hobby. She subsequently trained with the Mammoth Snowboard Elite Team in the United States with the support and guidance of fellow athlete Chloe Kim and Kim’s father.

Kim is a 25-year-old Korean American snowboarder with two consecutive Olympic gold medals from the 2018 PyeongChang and 2022 Beijing Winter Games. Choi has, through various outlets, named Kim her "mentor and friend."

“But someday, I’ll have to face her as a rival,” she was quoted as saying in an April interview with the JoongAng Ilbo.

Choi rose to prominence after winning the FIS Junior World Championship in 2022, one of the most prestigious international tournaments for junior snowboarders. A year later, Choi won Korea's first gold at the X Games in Aspen, Colorado. She was also the youngest-ever winner of her category in the games, the halfpipe.

Choi's signature move is the switch backside 900 — often shortened to “switch back nine” — a highly difficult trick she mastered at just 14. The maneuver involves taking off in the opposite direction, rotating with the rider’s back facing downhill and completing two and a half spins, 900 degrees, in mid air.

Choi describes the trick as her unique edge. “Very few riders, even among the top five female snowboarders, can perform the switch backside 900,” Choi is reported saying in a JoongAng Ilbo article published Jan. 29. “Even among men, it’s rare for riders to open a run with that trick.”

Choi Ga-on, center, second-placed Rise Kudo of Japan, left, and third-placed Xuetong Cai of China stand on the podium after the final run of the Snowboard Halfpipe World Cup at the Laax Open in Laax, Switzerland, on Jan. 18. [AP]

Choi made her FIS Snowboard World Cup debut during the 2023-24 season — the sport’s top international competition series for professional snowboarders — and claimed one gold medal across four halfpipe events at the age of 15.

Just one month later, however, her ascent was briefly halted by a fracture in her back in January 2024. The injury required surgery, sidelining her for nearly the entire season and forcing her to sit out the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games.

After a year of rehabilitation, Choi returned to the international competition circuit, with podium finishes in two World Cup events in early 2025.

Choi Ga-on poses with her gold medal after the 2023-24 season of the International Ski Federation Snowboard World Cup's women's halfpipe race in Copper Mountain, Colorado, on Dec. 17, 2023. [ALL THAT SPORTS]

She firmly staked her claim as the next big name in women’s halfpipe during the 2025–26 FIS Snowboard World Cup season, winning three consecutive gold medals — in China and the United States in December, and in Switzerland on Jan. 18.

The World Cup series runs through late March, with two of the season’s seven events remaining. The snowboarders with the highest cumulative score across the season in their respective disciplines will take home the title.

Choi Ga-on does a trick during the snowboard half-pipe competition at the FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland, March 29, 2025. [AP/YONHAP]

After the January win, Choi said she was “very happy to win again," in a statement through her management company All That Sports. "The first run was a tough one, and I am happy with the success of my second run. With the Olympics nearing, my confidence keeps growing as well. I want to work even harder."

The Milan-Cortina 2026 Games were her first Olympics.

Choi Ga-on, center, who scored 90.25 points to win gold in the women’s snowboard halfpipe final at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at Livigno Snow Park in Italy, stands on the podium holding up the national flag on Feb. 13. Chloe Kim, left, won silver and Mitsuki Ono, right, took bronze. [YONHAP]

Kim, who had aimed to set a record of three consecutive Olympic golds, spoke candidly about Choi’s ascent.

"I've known her since she was very little, so it is cool to see how far she's come and how amazing she is. It makes me really happy knowing that the next generation is in such good hands," Kim told reporters at the Livigno Snow Park after the semifinals on Wednesday.

Now, with the biggest event of the season — and of her career so far — behind her, the young snowboarder is unlikely to stay off the snowy slopes for long.

As Choi said in the JoongAng Ilbo interview, “Like riding a bicycle, being in the air now just feels natural."

BY LEE JIAN [[email protected]]