South Korea celebrates 17-year-old snowboarder Choi Gaon as a ‘miracle girl’ after her historic Olympic gold medal win in the halfpipe.
SOUTH Korea is celebrating snowboarding sensation Choi Gaon as a “miracle girl” and history-maker after she soared to the country’s first Olympic gold in the sport.
The 17-year-old recovered from a horror crash to dethrone the United States’ two-time defending champion Chloe Kim in the halfpipe. Choi is the first athlete from South Korea to win an Olympic gold medal in any snow sport.
Multiple South Korean newspapers carried headlines dubbing Choi the nation’s “miracle girl”. President Lee Jae Myung said her performance had written a “new chapter in the history of South Korean snowboarding”.
READ MORE: Curling quietly kicks off 2026 Winter Olympics programme
“Her performance deeply resonated not only with South Koreans but with audiences around the world,” Lee said in a statement. He added that Choi “did not waver” after a brutal fall that drew audible gasps from the crowd during her first run.
Local media outlet Financial News said that Choi’s “fierce determination moved even the Olympic gods”. The gold was also South Korea’s first at the 2026 Winter Games.
Choi, who was cheered on by South Korean fans at Livigno Snow Park, was born in Yangpyeong. She grew up in a snowboarding family with both parents and her three siblings taking up the sport.
A video from nine years ago showing all six family members riding together resurfaced online following her Olympic triumph. Despite being beaten into second, the American Kim spoke fondly of her protege afterwards.
“She’s my baby,” said Kim, 25, who is widely popular in South Korea because of her Korean heritage.
