"Choi Gaon, idol and mentor, Chloe Kim, blocked the coronation."→She's only 17 years old" Even foreign media are amazed [Milan Olympics]

*This content was translated by AI.

Choi Ga-on (18, Sehwa Girls' High School), a "snowboard genius girl," won the first Olympic gold medal in Korean snow sports by preventing the coronation of "The Empress" Chloe Kim (26, USA), who was aiming for the third consecutive Winter Olympics. In response, foreign media made headlines by paying attention to the relationship between Choi Ga-on and Chloe Kim.

Choi Ga-on won the women's snowboard halfpipe final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina D'Ampezzo Winter Olympics held at Lvigno Snow Park in Italy on the 13th (Korea time), beating Chloe Kim, who scored only 88.00 points with 90.25.

On this day, Choi Ga-on created an impressive race. During the first period of postponement, he fell and almost led to a major accident. It created a dizzying situation in which medical staff were put in by hitting a pipe. Fortunately, Choi Ga-on, who got up on his own, fell as if the shock did not go away in the second period. However, in the final third period, he succeeded in all his skills and scored 90.25 points to win the gold medal. He was named at the top of the ranking table at once.

On the other hand, Chloe Kim got off to a good start with 88.00 points in the first period, but failed to renew her score in both the second and third periods. In particular, in the third period, Chloe Kim immediately visited Choi Ga-on and congratulated her when she fell during her performance. The bronze medal went to Mitsuki Ono of Japan, who scored 86.50 points.

Foreign media did not hide their admiration for the dramatic match. The Athletic, an American sports media outlet, said, "Choi Gaon's brilliant last performance prevented Chloe Kim's coronation. In particular, Choi Ga-on scored high despite the bad luck of falling heavily in the first period. It was very impressive," he wrote.

U.S. ESPN also said, "Choi Gaon, who fell in the first period, actually looked precarious. It also produced a dizzying scene of receiving first aid. Choi Ga-on, who even considered abstaining in the second period, finally won the gold medal. "Choi Gaon is the first non-American female athlete to win a gold medal in the highest authority snowboarding competition since Australia's Torah Bright in 2010." Britain's TNT Sports also said, "Choi Gaon won the gold medal in his first appearance at the Olympics. He's only 17 years old. Unbelievable. She did it," she said without hiding her surprise.

Foreign media also paid attention to the relationship between Choi Ga-on and Chloe Kim. ESPN said, "Chloe Kim, whose parents immigrated to the United States from Korea, has been constantly encouraging Choi Ga-on since childhood. Choi Ga-on also dreamed of seeing her idol Chloe Kim. In the end, Chloe Kim said, "I handed over the Olympic title to a teenage girl who I inspired."

According to multiple U.S. media outlets, Chloe Kim said in an interview shortly after the medal ceremony, "It's very important to hand it over to the next runner, but there's nothing better than being next to Choi Ga-on on the podium. I'm really proud of Choi Ga-on and I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of performance he will show in the future," he said.

On whether to win three consecutive Olympics, which drew attention from around the world, Chloe Kim said, "I know there have been a lot of related stories. I've thought about it too, but actually the moment I got a shoulder injury (in December last year), I thought it didn't matter at all. So this tournament feels like a victory for me. "It was because it was impossible to participate in the tournament just a month ago," he said.

In fact, as soon as Chloe Kim made a mistake in the third period and the silver medal was confirmed, she immediately ran to Choi Ga-on and congratulated him sincerely. Chloe Kim, who gives heartfelt congratulations, and Choi Ga-on, who shed tears of emotion, are expected to be remembered as the best scene in the Olympics.

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*This content was translated by AI.