Choi Ga-on, "The touching spirit that rang around the world." "I want to eat the food that my grandmother makes."" [Milan Olympics]

*This content was translated by AI.

It's simply a 'golden welcome'.

Snowboarder Choi Ga-on (18), who won the gold medal with a touching fighting spirit that made the world cry beyond Korea at the 2026 Milan/Cortina D'Ampezzo (Italy) Winter Olympics, will return home after the competition schedule.

According to the Korean Sports Council on the 15th, Choi Ga-on will step on Korean soil through Incheon International Airport on the afternoon of the 16th. It has been three days since he reached the top of the competition on the 13th.

Earlier, 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., who was trying to win her third consecutive Olympic title.

Choi Ga-on, who fell so hard in the first period that he expressed, "My legs didn't work," won the gold medal with an indomitable fighting spirit that did not give up.

Choi Ga-on, who continued his challenge to the end despite the coach's offer to withdraw, eventually wrote a dramatic drama that turned around with more than 90 points in the final third attempt.

Foreign media also shed light on the emotional fighting spirit that made the world cry. U.S. media NBC Sports said, "Choi Gaon's gold medal is a shocking result that will remain in Olympic snowboarding history," and the BBC also explained, "It is a moment when Choi Gaon's potential is revealed as a reality." "He fell from the first period and couldn't get up for a while, but he finally got up and attracted the crowd in the last third period."

President Lee Jae-myung also celebrated on Facebook, saying, "The appearance of Choi Ga-on, who did not fluctuate despite the disappointment in the first and second periods and finally won the gold medal in the third period, exceeded 90 points of his dream, deeply moved not only the Korean people but also the whole world."

Choi Ga-on, who has repeatedly won the Korean team's first gold medal in this year's event, the first gold medal in Korean snow sports, and the youngest ever Olympic champion (17 years and 101 days), will return home after a short local schedule.

Earlier, Choi Ga-on said at an Olympic gold medalist press conference, "I try to relax with my family and think about what I will do when I go to Korea," but added, "Milano is good, but I really want to go to Korea. I want to go to Korea and eat delicious food that my grandmother makes. I decided to celebrate with my friends by having a pajama party the day after (going back to Korea)," he said.

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*This content was translated by AI.