Choi Gaon confesses to a 17-year-old girl who beat her idol to the point where she wanted Chloe to win first place... The winner is "coldness." The heart is "touched." [the scene of Milan]

*This content was translated by AI.

Choi Ga-on (18, Sehwa Girls' High School), who rose to the throne over his idol Chloe Kim (26, USA), expressed her joy but complicated subtle heart.

Choi Ga-on's press conference to commemorate the gold medal at the 2026 Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics was held on the 14th (local time) in Milan, Italy, where the Olympic "Korea House" is running.

Choi Ga-on scored 90.25 points in the women's halfpipe final at the Lvigno Snowpark in Italy on the 13th, beating his idol Chloe Kim (88.00 points in the United States).

With this, Choi Ga-on wrote a new history of the first Winter Olympics gold medal in Korean ski and snowboarding history. Choi Ga-on, 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.

Chloe Kim approached Choi Ga-on and congratulated him as if she was handing over the throne when a mistake was made in the third period and the silver medal was confirmed. Global Sports ESPN said, "Chloe Kim, whose parents immigrated to the U.S. from Korea, has been steadily encouraging Choi Ga-on for a long time. "I dreamed of Chloe Kim, Choi Ga-do's idol," she said. "Chloe Kim handed over the Olympic throne to a teenage girl she inspired."

When asked Choi Ga-on at the press conference, "How did you feel when Chloe Kim hugged you right after the game?" he said, "When Chloe hugged me tightly, I felt a strange feeling and emotion that I was happy but exceeded her." He said, "I cried because he said a lot of good things as a mentor."

When asked what it meant to beat his idol, Chloe Kim, to win the gold medal, he said, "Before the match, I was so complicated that I wanted Chloe, whom I respect, to win the gold medal. I was happy to surpass him, but on the other hand, I was a little disappointed and sorry," he said, expressing respect.

Choi Gaon achieved the feat of dominating the world even before he became an adult. When asked, "What I want to supplement even if I became the best in the world?" he said, "This Olympic run was not perfect by my standards. I want to improve my skills more, and mentally, I want to get rid of the habit of being nervous during matches," he said.

Meanwhile, Chloe Kim also drew attention by praising Choi Ga-on after the game. He said in English on his personal social media (SNS), "It was a real honor to participate as a member of the snowboard halfpipe event. The night before the game was really fun. I hope you all enjoyed watching the women's halfpipe snowboard."

Then, he said to Choi Ga-on, "I want to sincerely congratulate you. Your strength and mentality were more than touching. I'm looking forward to seeing you continue to shine as always," he said.

Choi Ga-do left a reply to the post, saying, "Sister is my eternal role model. I respect you. Thank you," he said, adding a crown emoji.

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*This content was translated by AI.