Choi Gaon, who refused to be transported on a stretcher, said, "I had to go to the hospital if I got on" Coach shrugged off "Please withdraw" and won the gold medal [the scene of Milan]

*This content was translated by AI.

Choi Ga-on (18, Sehwa Girls' High School), the "Snowboard Queen," revealed the behind-the-scenes story of the gold medal.

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.

Choi Ga-on said, "It hasn't been long since I won a medal, so it still feels like a dream and it doesn't feel real. I'm enjoying this moment," he said, expressing his feelings about winning the gold medal.

The story of winning the gold medal was also like a movie. Choi Ga-on slipped heavily during the first period, which began under unfavorable conditions of heavy snow, and could not get up for a while. Fortunately, he came down on his own, wiping away tears, but he fell in the second period as if he had an abnormality in his physical condition. However, he won in the final third period, succeeding in all his skills.

The situation was serious at the time when I heard directly from Choi Ga-on. When asked, "What was the situation when you fell and lay down for a long time in the first period?" he said, "When I fell, the immediate thought was that I should get up again. But my legs didn't work, and I couldn't get up even if I wanted to."

At the same time, I think the medical staff came and said, 'If you get carried on a stretcher, you have to go to the hospital.' I thought I'd regret too much to give up here. I asked for time, but he said, "The next player has to play, so we have to decide quickly." As I moved from my toes, my strength came back and I came down on my own," he added.

Regarding the fact that he declared and reversed his withdrawal (DNS) in the second period, he said, "The coach discouraged me to withdraw because I couldn't even walk, but I insisted that I would play unconditionally. "I moved thinking, 'Let's walk with our teeth clenched,' and my legs got a little better, so I withdrew and ran again," he said.

Surprisingly, the snow fell a lot did not affect the game. Choi Ga-on said, "I had more snow during the X-game, so this snow did not affect much. Rather, it was so pretty when I entered the stadium, and it snowed at the awards ceremony, so I had fun laughing with Chloe."

Fortunately, I'm feeling fine now. Choi Ga-on said, "My knee, which hurt during the game, has improved a lot. "However, my wrist, which was injured before the Olympics, has not healed yet, so I think I should go to Korea and check it out," he said.

Snowboarding is a high-risk event that can lead to major injuries, but fear is not an obstacle for Choi Ga-on. He cited the fierce desire to win among his sisters and brothers as his biggest weapon. Choi Ga-on said, "I've been fearless since I was young," adding, "More than anything, growing up with my sister and brother seems to beat my fear." This is the point where Choi Ga-on's extraordinary mentality, which covered up even the fear of injury, stands out.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.