18-year-old wins S. Korea's first female snowboard Olympic bronze

By Park Sae-jin Posted : February 10, 2026, 08:28 Updated : February 10, 2026, 08:29
South Korean snowboarder Yu Seung-eun performs a trick during the women's snowboard big air final at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Livigno Snow Park in Livigno, Italy, on February 9 (local time). YONHAP

SEOUL, February 10 (AJP) - High school student Yu Seung-eun has made history on Monday (local time) as the first South Korean woman to stand on an Olympic snowboarding podium, capturing a bronze medal in the big air event during her debut at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.

The 18-year-old recorded a combined score of 171.00 points at Livigno Snow Park, finishing behind gold medalist Japan's Murase Kokomo and silver medalist Zoi Sadowski-Synnott from New Zealand. Her performance secured South Korea's second snowboarding medal of these Games, following a silver by Kim Sang-kyum in the men's parallel giant slalom on Sunday.
 
South Korean snowboarder Yu Seung-eun smiles on the podium after winning the bronze medal in the women's snowboard big air event at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Livigno Snow Park in Livigno, Italy, on February 9 (local time). YONHAP

South Korea is a relative newcomer to the international snowboarding scene compared to traditional winter sports powers in North America and Europe. While snowboarding made its Olympic debut in 1998, South Korea did not win its first medal in the sport until Lee Sang-ho took silver in the parallel giant slalom at the 2018 PyeongChang Games. Yu's bronze represents the nation's first-ever Olympic medal in a freestyle snowboarding discipline.
 
South Korean snowboarder Yu Seung-eun bites her bronze medal during the medal ceremony for the women's snowboard big air event at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Livigno Snow Park in Livigno, Italy, on February 9. YONHAP


During the February 10 final, which aggregates the two highest scores from three attempts, Yu executed a backside triple cork 1440 mute grab on her opening run for 87.75 points. She moved into a temporary lead during the second round by landing a frontside triple cork 1440 Indy grab, which earned 83.25 points.

Despite a fall on her final attempt that resulted in a score of 20.75 points, the strength of her first two runs kept her in third place.
 
South Korean snowboarder Yu Seung-eun steps onto the podium during the medal ceremony for the women's snowboard big air event at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Livigno Snow Park in Livigno, Italy, on February 9 (local time). YONHAP

"My coach told me not to worry about the other athletes and just focus on my own performance, so I didn't even know I was in medal contention," Yu said. "It's an honor just to compete under the South Korean flag."

Seongbok High School student Yu Seung-eun arrived in Italy as a medal prospect after becoming the first South Korean to earn a silver medal at a Big Air World Cup in Colorado last December. The women's big air final featured 12 athletes, with Yu's technical consistency marking a milestone for South Korea's winter sports program.
Park Sae-jin

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