Choi Gaon performs during the final of the women's halfpipe snowboarding event at the Winter Olympics at Livigno Snow Park in Livigno, Italy, Feb. 12. Yonhap
MILAN — Choi Gaon couldn't walk at first, with no strength in her legs after taking a huge fall during her first run in the final of the women's halfpipe snowboard event at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Thursday.
The 17-year-old still dug deep and summoned enough energy to grab an unlikely gold medal at Livigno Snow Park in Livigno on this snowy night in northern Italy.
Choi scored 90.25 points in her third and final run of the final for the title. The 12 finalists each had three runs, and only the best of their three scores counted.
Choi had just 10.00 points in her first run after hitting the lip of the U-shaped ramp hard and tumbling down the vertical wall. She wasn't able to get up for a few minutes.
"I was a bit shocked. After the first run, I actually cried really hard, thinking maybe I should just quit the Olympics here," Choi said. "I cried because I thought I wouldn't be able to compete. But the thought kept coming back to me: 'You can do this. You have to go on.' That's what pushed me forward."
Choi is nothing if not resilient. She once overcame a serious back injury that kept her sidelined for about a year, and she wasn't going to let her leg issues stop her this time.
"Honestly, I couldn't walk at first. My legs had no strength, and I thought I couldn't do this," she said. "But once I started walking, it actually started getting better, and I was able to run."
Choi could barely do anything in her second run, and she admitted she was nervous about whether she could land her third run.
Gold medalist Gaon Choi poses on the podium after the Women's Snowboard Halfpipe of the Snowboarding competitions at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, in Livigno, Italy, Feb. 12. EPA-Yonhap
Source: Korea Times News
