There’s a new champ in town.
17-year-old South Korean phenom Choi Gaon delivered one of the most dramatic comeback wins in Olympic snowboard history, taking gold in the women’s halfpipe final and ending Chloe Kim’s bid for a historic third straight Olympic title.
After slamming hard on her opening run and sitting near the bottom of the standings, Choi threw down the run of her life when it mattered most, posting a 90.25 on her third and final run, the only score in the 90s all night.
Chloe Kim, arguably the greatest women’s halfpipe rider of all time, settled for silver with 88.00, while Japan’s Mitsuki Ono claimed bronze with 85.00.
Gaon’s path to gold looked over before it began. Dropping early in the final, the Korean teenager clipped the deck attempting a Cab 1080 and slammed heavily into the pipe, lying on the snow while medics checked on her. She struggled again on run two, unable to put down a complete score, leaving her buried near last place with one run remaining.
But under insane pressure, she unleashed a technically stacked final run, instantly jumping into the lead and flipping the pressure back onto the defending champion.
Chloe, riding with a shoulder injury, had the final drop to reclaim gold, but couldn’t improve her score, confirming one of the biggest upsets of the Games.
For nearly a decade, the sport has orbited around Chloe Kim, the benchmark for progression and competitive dominance. But in Livigno, the teenager she helped inspire delivered the perfect mix of risk, execution and timing to take the crown.
Gaon represents a new generation of riders raised in the technical landscape Chloe helped create, and now capable of beating her on the sport’s biggest stage.
A huge congrats to Gaon, Chloe and Mitsuki for one of the most entertaining finals we’ve ever witnessed.
