Snowboarder Choi Ga-on delivered South Korea’s first gold medal of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, staging a dramatic comeback after a heavy fall on her opening run.

Choi took the top podium spot after scoring 90-point-25 points in the women’s halfpipe snowboard final at Livigno Snow Park in Livigno on Thursday, edging out Chloe Kim of the United States, who finished with 88 points.

Entering her third and final run, Choi was sitting in the eleventh place among the 12 finalists after scoring just ten points in her opening run, but she pulled off a dramatic comeback on her third attempt.

With the victory, Choi not only claimed South Korea’s first gold medal of the Games, but also became the first South Korean to win Olympic gold in a snow sport.

Born in November 2008, Choi also broke the record for the youngest Olympic champion in the event, surpassing Chloe Kim’s record of 17 years and 10 months set at the 2018 PyeongChang Games by about seven months.