Kim Ho-jun, South Korea's first Olympic snowboarder and a commentator for JTBC, congratulated Choi Ga-on for winning the country's first Olympic gold medal in snowboarding.
On the 13th, Kim posted a video on his social media, stating, "Ga-on, I sincerely congratulate you and thank you." He added, "The trend is snowboarding. When I first competed in the Olympics, most people didn't even know what a halfpipe was. Some even confused snowboarding with skiing." Kim, a former national halfpipe representative, was the only South Korean athlete to compete in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.
He emphasized, "Perhaps because I competed in such an era and poured everything I had into it, the phrase 'the trend is snowboarding' excites and thrills me. Today, a new chapter in South Korean snowboarding history has been written. I have seen how hard Choi Ga-on has worked for this gold medal in the halfpipe, and I am truly happy for her." He concluded with, "I sincerely thank Choi Ga-on and JTBC for allowing me to say that the trend is snowboarding. Long live South Korean snowboarding! What’s the trend? Snowboarding!"
Meanwhile, Choi Ga-on secured the gold medal in the women's halfpipe final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics held at the Livigno Snowpark in Italy on the 12th, scoring 90.25 points and surpassing Chloe Kim, who aimed for her third consecutive Olympic gold with a score of 88.00. This marks South Korea's first gold medal in snow sports. So far, South Korean snowboarding has earned three medals in this Olympics, including a silver medal by Kim Sang-gyeom in men's parallel giant slalom and a bronze medal by Yoo Seung-eun in women's big air.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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