Behind the new history of Korea snowboarding was Lotte Chairman Shin Dong-bin... Choi Ga-on said after returning home, "He cheered me on during the most difficult times." [Milan Olympics]

*This content was translated by AI.

Choi Ga-on (18, Sehwa Girls' High School), who opened a new history of snowboarding in Korea, once again expressed his gratitude to Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin (71).

According to News 1, Newsis, Choi Ga-on said in an interview with reporters after returning home through Incheon International Airport on the 16th, "Chairman (Shin Dong-bin) supported me during the most difficult times. I think I can stand here now because of your great support. I'm always grateful," he said.

Choi Ga-on stood at the top of the podium with a high score of 90.25 in the women's halfpipe final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina D'Ampezzo Winter Olympics on the 13th. It is the first Olympic gold medal in the history of Korean snow sports.

It received more attention for its dramatic process. Choi Gaon fell heavily during his second jump attempt in the first period of the final. It seemed to fall from the head on the broadcast screen and caused concern because it could not get up from the stadium for a while.

In fact, after the first period, a DNS (voting) mark appeared next to Choi Ga-on's name on the official broadcast screen. He reversed his decision and started in the second period, but he fell again. However, in the last third period, despite changing to a stable composition, he recorded 90.25 with a high height and rotation speed, and eventually won the gold medal.

After the news of Choi Ga-on's gold medal, Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin's full support also made headlines. Chairman Shin Dong-bin provided 70 million won for back surgery treatment to Choi Ga-on in 2024.

It's not limited to Choi Ga-on. Lotte Group has been the chairman of the Korea Ski and Snowboard Association since 2014, cheering for the growth of prospective snowboarders. So far, Lotte Group has reportedly invested more than 30 billion won in ski and snowboard events. In addition to technical exchanges with advanced ski associations such as the United States, Canada, and Finland, which are powerhouses in snow sports, the rules on rewards have been expanded to 4th to 6th in international competitions such as the Olympics, World Championships, and World Cups to motivate athletes.

As a result, Lee Sang-ho (31) won a gold medal in parallel competitions and rotations at the 2017 Sapporo Winter Asian Games, and the first medal in Korean snowboarding history was born as a silver medal at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Since then, Lee Seung-hoon (21) of the 2025 Harbin Winter Asian Games has won a halfpipe gold medal in freestyle skiing and Choi Ga-on's first gold medal in Olympic snow events.

In addition, Kim Sang-gyeom (37, High1) won a silver medal in the men's parallel snowboard competition, and Yoo Seung-eun (18, Sungbok High School) won a bronze medal in the women's slope style. Kim Sang-gyeom's silver medal is significant in that it is the 400th medal in Korea's East and Summer Olympics, and Yoo Seung-eun's bronze medal is the first Olympic medal in Korean women's snowboarding history.

According to its own reward regulations, Lotte Group decided to pay 200 million won to Kim Sang-gyeom, who won the silver medal, 100 million won to Yoo Seung-eun, and 300 million won to Choi Ga-on.

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*This content was translated by AI.