LIVIGNO, Italy — In a stunning reversal of Olympic fortunes, South Korean phenom Gaon Choi, 17, dethroned two-time gold medalist Chloe Kim during Thursday’s dramatic women’s halfpipe final at the Winter Games. The victory marked both a changing of the guard in snowboarding and the culmination of a mentor-protégé relationship years in the making.
The competition unfolded under challenging conditions as steady snowfall slowed the Livigno halfpipe, creating unpredictable terrain for athletes attempting complex aerial maneuvers. The narrative took an early dramatic turn when Choi suffered a brutal crash during her first run that momentarily halted the event and required medical attention.
Kim, competing with a recently dislocated shoulder from a training accident in Switzerland, initially appeared in control after posting a technically masterful first run featuring her signature Cab double-cork 1080—a trick few women can execute. This performance temporarily positioned the American star for what many anticipated would be her third consecutive Olympic gold.
However, the competition dynamics shifted radically in the third and final round. Choi, demonstrating remarkable resilience after her earlier crash, delivered a near-flawless run that earned 90.25 points—the highest score of the night. This placed immediate pressure on Kim, who had one final attempt to reclaim the lead.
In an anticlimactic conclusion, Kim faltered early in her final run, unable to complete her opening maneuver as the intensifying snowfall affected the pipe’s conditions. The result secured gold for Choi while Kim settled for silver, with Japan’s Mitsuki Ono claiming bronze.
Despite the disappointing outcome, Kim displayed gracious sportsmanship, immediately embracing her young rival afterward. “I’m so damn proud of her,” Kim stated. “Although we are in an individual sport, it means so much to me to know I’ve inspired a whole new generation.”
The victory establishes Choi as the same age Kim was when she won her first Olympic title eight years ago, completing a symbolic full circle in snowboarding’s evolution. Kim revealed she would require shoulder surgery upon returning home, casting uncertainty on her competitive future.
The upset also extended snowboarding’s elusive three-peat curse, as no athlete has yet achieved three consecutive Olympic golds since the sport’s 1998 Games debut. Earlier in these Olympics, both Ester Ledecka (parallel giant slalom) and Anna Gasser (big air) similarly failed to secure their potential third consecutive titles.