Strong Choi Ga-on won the gold medal, and he said, "It's not perfect?" "I only achieved my dream quickly. My goal is to ride better than now" [the scene of Milan]

*This content was translated by AI.

Choi Ga-on (18, Sehwa Girls' High School), who ascended the throne at the age of 18, revealed her future goals.

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 Gaon said, "I'm happy to have a long congratulatory message to my family, and I'm also grateful to my friends and colleagues for congratulating me. When I go to Korea, I try to relax with my family and think about what I will do. 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 now," he said.

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.

Although he rose to the top of the world, the 18-year-old "Snowboard Genius" is still hungry. Choi Ga-on praised the Olympic run, saying, "It was not perfect in my standards," and said, "I want to improve my skills more, and mentally, I want to get rid of the habit of being nervous during matches."

As it peaked at a young age, there may also be concerns about the loss of goals. When asked about his future goals, he said, "I'm honored to have achieved my dream quickly," but added, "I want to focus on training right in front of me and become a better rider than now rather than setting a goal far away."

As the first Olympic gold medalist in Korean ski and snowboarding history, he did not forget his regret and voice of improvement over the poor domestic training environment. Choi Ga-on said, "There is only one halfpipe stadium in Korea, and it's a shame that even that is not perfect."

"I hope there will be an air mat facility in Korea where you can train in the summer like in Japan, so that you can train for a long time in Korea without going abroad," he said, asking for the future of Korean snowboarding with his juniors.

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*This content was translated by AI.