Choi Gaon of Korea competes within the girls’s halfpipe remaining on the Worldwide Ski Federation Snowboard World Cup in Copper Mountain, Colorado, Friday. AFP-Yonhap
Having captured two straight World Cup titles within the leadup to her first Winter Olympics, teenage snowboarder Choi Gaon says her psychological improvement has been the large key to her success.
Choi received the ladies’s halfpipe gold medal on the newest Worldwide Ski Federation Snowboard World Cup cease in Copper Mountain, Colorado, on Friday (native time), with 94.50 factors. Every week earlier, Choi had additionally come out on prime within the World Cup occasion in China.
The 17-year-old had one profession World Cup title to her credit score getting into this season.
“I’ve by no means received two titles in the identical season earlier than, so it hasn’t hit me but,” Choi informed Yonhap Information Company over the cellphone Sunday. “I’m happy that my onerous work is paying off and that I have been in a position to keep wholesome.”
Korean American star Chloe Kim has received every of the previous two Olympic gold medals within the girls’s halfpipe, wherein boarders carry out acrobatic spins, flips and board grabs on a 22-foot, U-shaped construction. They’re judged on levels of issue, top and execution of their strikes.
Kim remains to be thought to be the athlete to beat on the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, however Choi has shortly emerged because the potential menace to Kim’s throne.
Choi burst onto the scene by changing into the youngest X Video games champion at 14 years and three months in January 2023, and added her first World Cup title in December of the identical 12 months.
Choi then suffered a devastating again harm in the course of the World Cup cease in early 2024, and it required a 12 months of rehab and restoration.
And with the Olympics lower than two months away, Choi mentioned she is in nice type.
“I really feel like I’ve made specifically large strides on the psychological facet of issues,” Choi added. “I do not get as nervous earlier than competitions as earlier than, and I’ve the energy to keep up my very own tempo. Once I do get nervous, I attempt to keep locked in on my strategies, after which the nerves go away.”
Reflecting on her prolonged rehab, Choi mentioned it was essentially the most critical harm she’d suffered in her life.
“After my second surgical procedure, I used to be spending all that point in Korea, and I grew bored,” she mentioned. “That is after I realized my life would solely be full if I’m going again to snowboard. And that helped me get again on my toes.”
Choi has received each World Cup titles this month in robust climate situations, and she or he mentioned her new psychological strategy helped her not get distracted by her environment.
Choi Gaon of Korea poses with the winner’s belt after profitable the ladies’s halfpipe title on the Worldwide Ski Federation Snowboard World Cup in Copper Mountain, Colorado, Friday. Yonhap
“I needed to remain centered on issues that I might management and never fear about issues that I could not,” she mentioned. “I attempted to remind myself of issues I hadn’t performed effectively up to now and tried to remain composed.”
In Copper Mountain, Choi and Kim led their respective qualification teams to arrange an intriguing showdown within the remaining. Nevertheless, Kim suffered an undisclosed harm throughout coaching and didn’t compete within the remaining.
All three of Choi’s World Cup titles have now come with out Kim within the remaining.
“I felt actually unhealthy when Chloe acquired damage,” Choi mentioned. “I can not say I wasn’t disenchanted that we did not get to satisfy within the remaining, however I’d like to go up in opposition to her once we are each wholesome and in prime type. I believe it would occur ultimately.”
Korea has had only one Olympic medal in snowboarding to date, with Lee Sang-ho’s silver within the males’s parallel large slalom on the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Video games, and Choi is now thought of the nation’s prime snowboard medal contender in Italy.
“I can really feel that the Olympic Video games are certainly simply across the nook. I really feel like I get extra consideration than traditional,” she mentioned. “Clearly, I’m trying ahead to my first Olympics, and simply competing there can be vital in and of itself. I’ll strive to not do an excessive amount of.”
Choi has just lately executed a change bottom 900, which entails taking off whereas driving in an reverse stance and finishing 2 1/2 spins with a bottom rotation. She can also be engaged on a tougher change bottom 1080, which requires three full spins.
“I’m concentrating on strengthening my fundamentals and on executing regular strikes with out accidents,” she mentioned. “I’m engaged on the change bottom 1080, however firstly, I’m attempting to keep away from getting damage.”
After persevering with her coaching in the USA, Choi plans to come back dwelling early subsequent month earlier than heading out to Switzerland for her final World Cup occasion earlier than the Olympics in February.
“I need to present the easiest model of myself on the Olympics,” Choi mentioned. “I’ll give my 100%.”
