South Korea’s Choi Ga On (Sehwa High School) said she wants to “work even harder” and become an athlete who can surpass herself after winning the country’s first Olympic gold medal in a snow event.
Choi won the women’s snowboard halfpipe final at Livigno Snow Park in Italy on Thursday (local time) with 90.25 points. She beat Chloe Kim of the United States, the gold medalist at the 2018 PyeongChang and 2022 Beijing Games. It was South Korea’s first Olympic gold in a snow sport and the first gold medal for the South Korean team at these Games.
Choi fell on her first run when her board caught on the lip of the pipe while attempting a trick. She missed her landing again on the second run, putting her medal hopes in doubt. On her third run, she delivered her best performance, lowering the difficulty from the triple-rotation jump she tried earlier and instead landing a cab double cork 720 and a backside 900. The clean run earned 90.25 points and first place.
After the competition, Choi said, “I’m happy my first Olympic medal is a gold,” adding, “It’s also an honor to win the first gold for the South Korean team.”
Recalling her first-run crash, she said, “I fell pretty hard and thought I might have broken something and wouldn’t be able to get up,” but “I got my strength back in that moment and stood up.” She added, “I almost never fell in practice, but I think I made a mistake because I was nervous.”
Choi said she kept going because the Olympics had been her dream since she was 7. “Even if I fell, I thought I should finish to the end,” she said.
Asked about her tears on the podium, Choi said everything she had been through with her father and coach came to mind. “When I was injured, I wanted to give up, but I didn’t,” she said. “All of that suddenly came back to me.”
She said the Olympics were her biggest motivation. “I don’t think there’s been anything bigger than this,” she said. “I just believed in myself and thought I should try again.” She added, “I want to work hard at snowboarding and become an athlete who can surpass myself.”
To fans in South Korea, Choi said, “Thank you for believing in me and cheering for me,” adding, “I’ll keep working to show you an even better side of me.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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