From first-run crash to halfpipe glory: Choi Gaon's golden flight, told in photos

17-year-old becomes first South Korean to win Olympic gold in snow event; dethrones her idol, two-time Olympic champion Chloe Kim

From left: Silver medalist Chloe Kim, gold medalist Choi Gaon and bronze medalist Mitsuki Ono celebrate on the podium after the snowboard women's halfpipe final during the 2026 Winter Olympic Games on Thursday. (AFP-Yonhap)

At just 17, Choi Gaon clinched South Korea’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in a snow event, winning the women's halfpipe snowboarding event at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Thursday night.

It was South Korea's first gold medal at the Olympic Games.

Choi also became the youngest women’s halfpipe Olympic champion, breaking the previous mark set by two-time gold medalist Chloe Kim at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics by about seven months.

But the teen rider's victory unfolded more like a short drama than a highlight-reel moment.

Her first run went like this.

Choi Gaon soars high above the pipe while performing an aerial trick during her first run in the women’s snowboard halfpipe final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, on Thursday. (Yonhap)

Choi crashes during her first run. (Yonhap)

Choi is examined by medical staff after a heavy fall during her first run. (Yonhap)

Choi gets back on her feet and rides down to the finish line as medical staff pull a stretcher in the background. (Yonhap)

Choi opened with a switch backside 900 mute grab, taking off in her non-dominant stance and spinning two and a half rotations while holding a mute grab. However, she clipped the lip of the halfpipe on her second attempt — a caballerial 1080 stalefish, a switch frontside trick featuring three full rotations and a stalefish grab — and was unable to complete the move cleanly.

A misstep on landing sent Choi tumbling onto the snow, quieting the stadium for several minutes. She stayed down longer than expected but later stood up and rode out of the pipe on her own.

Choi's first run ended with a score of 10.00 points, out of a possible 100.

Ahead of her second attempt, a "DNS (Did Not Start)" notice briefly appeared beside Choi's name on the scoreboard. However, she came out at the top of the pipe to roaring cheers from the crowd. But she again fell on the landing of her opening trick after losing her balance.

It was clear after the heavy fall that she wasn’t in her best condition, and her medal hopes appeared to be fading.

However, on her third attempt, Cho delivered a clean run, landing all of her planned tricks — opening with a switch backside 900 mute grab and closing with a frontside 720 Indy grab, a two-rotation aerial featuring a backhand grab between the bindings.

Choi Gaon competes in run 3 of the snowboard women's halfpipe final on Thursday. (Yonhap)

When 90.25 points flashed on the scoreboard, Choi burst into tears, covering her face with her gloves as it finally felt like a reward for everything she had just endured.

Choi Gaon reacts after seeing her score of 90.25 points on the scoreboard on Thursday. (Yonhap)

Chloe Kim, who won silver and has long been Choi's idol, was among the first to congratulate the teenage champion, giving her a big hug.

On her way to the podium, Choi walked with a limp, still feeling pain in her knee. She broke down in tears again as South Korea’s national anthem played and the national flag was raised.

Chloe Kim (second from right) congratulates Choi Gaon (third from right) after Choi won a gold medal. (Yonhap)

"If this had been a World Cup, I might have stopped right away. But this was the Olympics — something I’ve dreamed of since I was seven, so I focused on the tricks," Choi told the press.

Looking forward, Choi said she wants to "keep pushing herself" in snowboarding.

South Korean snowboarder Choi Gaon poses for a picture on the podium after winning gold in the women's halfpipe snowboarding event at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics on Thursday. (Yonhap)

"I want to become an athlete who continues to surpass her own limits," she said.