Choi Gaon says she is only getting started; Lee Chae-un eyes rebound from previous Olympic heartbreak
South Korea will have a rider in both the women’s and men’s snowboard halfpipe finals at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, as medal hopefuls Choi Gaon and Lee Chae-un advanced in Wednesday’s qualifications.
Choi will compete for gold in the women’s final on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. local time at Livigno Snow Park in Livigno, which is 3:30 a.m. Friday in Korea. Lee is set to follow in the men’s final at the same local time on Friday — Saturday in Korea.
Snowboard halfpipe is a freestyle discipline in which riders perform aerial tricks while descending a U-shaped snow ramp. Judges score each run based on difficulty, amplitude and overall execution.
The top 12 riders from the qualification round advanced to the final, where each competitor will have three runs to determine the final standings.
Choi secured her finals berth in sixth place among 24 competitors in a qualification round topped by American star Chloe Kim.
Despite her strong showing Wednesday, the 17-year-old said she was just getting started at her Olympic debut and had "a lot more to show" in the medal round.
“Other than my hand, I feel fine,” Choi said. “I want to show everything I’ve been working on in the final. I rode pretty conservatively today — I didn’t even show half of what I can do,” Choi said.
In the men’s event, Lee secured his spot in the final, finishing ninth among 12 finalists.
The 20-year-old aims to rebound from his previous Olympic heartbreak. He failed to advance past qualification at his Olympic debut in Beijing four years ago.
Since then, he has risen to the top of the sport, winning the men’s halfpipe world title in 2023 — Korea’s first-ever medal and world championship title in snowboarding or skiing — and capturing gold at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics.
junheee@heraldcorp.com
