"Praise Choi Ga-on for writing history" A Korea moment that led Yoo Seung-min, chairman of the Korea Sports Council, to leap forward in winter sports in Yoo Seung Min." [Milan Olympics]

*This content was translated by AI.

Kim Yoo Seung Min (44), chairman of the Korea Sports Council, praised Choi Ga-on (Sehwa Girls' High School), who wrote the history of Korea's first Olympic gold medal in snow sports at the 2026 Milan/Cortina D'Ampezzo Winter Olympics.

According to the Korea Sports Association on the 13th, Chairman Yoo Seung Min said, "I sincerely congratulate Choi Ga-on on winning the gold medal," adding, "It is a historic moment that led to a new leap forward in winter sports in Korea."

Choi Gaon scored 90.25 points in the women's halfpipe final at the Lvigno Snowpark in Italy, beating Chloe Kim of the U.S. with 88.00 points.

With this, Choi Ga-on has set a new milestone of winning Korea's first gold medal in winter sports. Choi Ga-on (17 years and 3 months), who was born in November 2008, also broke Chloe Kim's record for the youngest gold medal in the event (17 years and 10 months) at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. He also became the first player to give the Korean team the gold medal in this tournament.

The story of winning the gold medal was like a movie. Choi Ga-on slipped heavily in the first period amid heavy snow and could not get up for a while. Fortunately, he came down wiping away tears on his own, but he fell in the second period as if he had an abnormality in his physical condition.

The miracle happened in the next third period. Despite the two big shocks, Choi Ga-on showed his indomitable fighting spirit in the final third period, showing fantastic skills, and creating a great reversal.

"Choi Gaon demonstrated its technological prowess and boldness by showing high ball speed, stable landing, and high-quality combination," the Korea Sports Association said. "It is a valuable result of the unshakable concentration and bold challenge spirit even in the moment of crisis."

"This gold medal is considered a historical achievement that imprinted the competitiveness of Korea's winter sports snow events on the world stage," he said, adding, "It is a symbolic moment that will inspire future generations of athletes."

In addition to Choi Ga-on, Im Jong-eon (Goyang City Hall) won a bronze medal in the men's 1,000m short track speed skating, giving the Korean team its fourth medal. Chairman Yoo Seung Min said, "I hope you applaud all the players who did their best, in addition to the players who scored the medal."

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*This content was translated by AI.