Seventeen-year-old Korean snowboarder Choi Ga-on delivered a stunning performance to claim gold in the women’s halfpipe final at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics test event held at Livigno Snowpark in Italy.
Korea’s First Olympic Quota in Halfpipe
Choi Ga-on, born in 2008 and hailed as a ‘board genius,’ scored an impressive 90.25 points on her final run, overtaking American Chloe Kim, who tallied 88.00 points while chasing a third consecutive Olympic title. This victory marks South Korea’s first Olympic quota spot in snowboard halfpipe and the nation’s inaugural gold in a winter Olympic snowboarding event.
Choi, a student at a prestigious university, grabbed the Taegeukgi flag handed to her by staff in a celebratory moment before conducting her post-event interview entirely in English. She revealed, “After my third run, I was disoriented, but Mitsuki Ono told me my score. I felt overwhelming happiness and couldn’t believe it.”
Japan’s Mitsuki Ono Secures Bronze
Japan’s Mitsuki Ono, a Waseda University student known as the nation’s ‘perfect daughter,’ earned bronze with 85.00 points, surpassing pre-event predictions of 11th place. Despite handing out tickets for 12th place earlier, Ono delivered a strong showing without competing in the post-event press conference, showcasing her quiet determination.
Four years prior, expectations placed her second, but she finished ninth, fueling her resolve. Reflecting on the competition, Ono stated, “Even celebrating someone’s failure isn’t easy, but it would be great if everyone could feel joy after succeeding.” She added that she feared dropping to fourth and emphasized, “Having silver and gold medals around my neck is also a goal.”
Ono credited her passion for snowboarding to watching the 2010 Vancouver Games, noting in English during a press conference, “That sparked my dream, which I’ve now achieved one step closer.”
Historic Achievements
This event highlighted rising stars, with Choi’s dramatic comeback and Ono’s resilience generating widespread buzz. Choi outperformed Chloe Kim, who had previously dominated, including faster qualification records from the 2018 PyeongChang Games (17 seconds 10 versus 17 seconds 3).
