Kim took silver in the men’s parallel giant slalom final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics on Feb. 8 (Korea time) at Livigno Snow Park in Italy. It was the first medal for South Korea’s team at these Olympics.
Kim’s path to the podium was marked by years of financial strain. As a child, he struggled with asthma and started track and field to improve his health. In his second year of middle school, he took up snowboarding at a physical education teacher’s suggestion. After graduating from Korea National Sport University in 2011, he found it difficult to continue as an athlete without a corporate team. During training seasons, he worked part-time one day each weekend, and in the offseason he took daily construction labor jobs.
He showed early promise by winning the parallel giant slalom at the 2011 Erzurum Winter Universiade in Turkey, but the Olympics proved tougher. At the 2014 Sochi Games, he became the first South Korean to compete in the event but finished 17th in qualifying and missed the round of 16. At the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, he lost in the round of 16. At the 2022 Beijing Games, he placed 24th in qualifying and again failed to reach the round of 16. His best finish at the world championships was fourth in the parallel giant slalom in 2021.
Kim’s results improved in his mid-30s. In November 2024, he won a World Cup silver medal in Meilin, China, his first World Cup medal in 15 years on the circuit. He added a bronze medal in March last year in Krynica, Poland.
In his fourth Olympics, Kim advanced from qualifying in eighth place and moved into the 16-rider bracket. In the quarterfinals, he upset Roland Fischnaller of Italy, the No. 1 rider in this season’s World Cup rankings. Kim reached the final and lost to Benjamin Karl of Austria by 0.19 seconds to secure silver.
Asked who he thought of most at the moment he won the medal, Kim mentioned his wife, tearing up as he spoke. “Thank you for waiting,” he said. “My family gave me so much strength. Thanks to the many people who believed in me, I didn’t give up and made it this far. I’ll hang this medal on my mom, dad and my wife,” he said with a smile.
“Snowboarding is my life,” Kim said. “There’s still a lot to get through. But I believe if I keep at it, there will be better results.”
Kim’s medal also marked a milestone for South Korean winter sports. South Korea’s ski and snowboard athletes added a medal in the same event for the first time in eight years, after Lee Sang-ho won silver in the parallel giant slalom at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games for the country’s first Olympic podium finish in skiing and snowboarding.
The silver was also South Korea’s 400th Olympic medal. South Korea won its first Olympic medal at the 1948 London Summer Olympics, when weightlifter Kim Seong-jip took bronze. Through the 2024 Paris Games, South Korea had won 320 Summer Olympic medals (109 gold, 100 silver, 111 bronze). Through the 2022 Beijing Games, it had won 79 Winter Olympic medals (33 gold, 30 silver, 16 bronze), for a total of 399. Kim’s silver pushed the overall count to 400.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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