Teenager Choi Shocks Kim, Denies Historic Third Gold

In a stunning turn of events, 17-year-old Choi Ga-on emerged victorious, thwarting Chloe Kim’s bid for a historic third consecutive Winter Olympic gold medal. The highly anticipated showdown at the Milan-Cortina Games saw the young South Korean ascend to the top of the podium, a moment that felt like a baton being passed in the world of women’s halfpipe snowboarding.

Choi, who had suffered a severe fall during her initial run, bounced back to score an impressive 90.25 points on her final attempt, a score that Kim, 25, could not surpass. Kim, regarded as the greatest female snowboarder in history, reflected on the competition as a “full circle moment” in her career.

The two athletes first crossed paths nine years ago at a test event in Pyeongchang, leading up to the 2018 Winter Olympics where Kim, then 17, captured her inaugural gold medal. Recognizing Choi’s potential, Kim and her father assisted her in traveling to the U.S. for training opportunities.

Upon Choi’s triumph, Kim’s father, a South Korean native, was one of the first to embrace the young athlete and her emotional team. Kim expressed her admiration, stating, “She’s someone I’ve known since she was little. It’s such a full circle moment seeing her from when she was so young to now standing next to her on the Olympic podium.”

Choi’s gold medal in Italy signifies the fulfillment of her immense potential, a name that has been gaining traction in snowboarding circles and is now firmly placed in the global spotlight. Just last year, at the young age of 14, she clinched the X Games superpipe gold, breaking Kim’s record as the youngest to achieve that honor.

That same year, she also secured victory in her first World Cup event, but a back fracture sidelined her for the remainder of the season. However, during the current Olympic season, Choi showcased her prowess by winning every World Cup event prior to the Games.

Despite finishing sixth in the qualifications while Kim led with a score of 90.25—ironically, the same score Choi would later achieve for gold—her final run appeared to be in jeopardy after a severe fall at the icy edge of the pipe. After lying still for several moments, Choi recovered and astounded spectators with her dazzling performance in her third run, prompting tears of joy from her coach.

“It’s the kind of story you only see in dreams, so I’m incredibly happy,” Choi remarked. “During the final, mentally it was so tough. But right now I am the happiest. My knees are a bit bad, but I feel like I’m overcoming it all with happiness.”

Choi further revealed her emotional struggle, saying, “After the first run, I actually cried really hard, thinking maybe I should just quit the Olympics here. I cried because I thought I wouldn’t be able to compete. But the thought kept coming back to me: ‘You can do this. You have to go on’. That’s what pushed me forward.”

For Kim, the lead-up to the Games was fraught with challenges. After only one competition this season, she dislocated her shoulder and suffered a torn labrum in what she described as a “silly fall” during training in Switzerland last month. Competing in Livigno with her shoulder in a brace, she showed remarkable resilience.

With prominent figures like Snoop Dogg and snowboarding great Shaun White watching from the sidelines, Kim initially seemed poised to claim gold after scoring 88.00 in her opening run. However, Choi’s final score, met with astonished gasps and cheers from the crowd, intensified the pressure on Kim. Ultimately, a fall during a chaotic final ensured that Kim would leave the Olympics with silver for the first time.

Japan’s Mitsuki Ono secured the bronze medal with a score of 85.00. Speaking after the event, Kim, who is slated to undergo shoulder surgery, expressed pride in her performance, stating, “There was a lot of conversation about me attempting to win a third gold, but honestly I’m just so glad I was able to get here. I think this one might mean more than the others. I think I put it all out there.”

She continued, “In the past, I would take a cautious approach and ride to win, but these days I’ve just wanted to do what felt good and I feel like I really gave it my all. This is so satisfying to me.”