How Chloe Kim's mentorship helped Choi Gaon achieve youngest halfpipe gold record

Choi Gaon celebrates on the podium after winning the gold medal in the women’s snowboard halfpipe final at the Livigno Snow Park in Italy during the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, Thursday (local time). On the left is U.S. snowboarder Chloe Kim, who took the silver medal. Yonhap

Korean snowboarder Choi Gaon clinched the gold medal in the women’s halfpipe event at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics on Thursday (local time), becoming the first South Korean Olympic gold medalist in a snow event and the youngest women’s halfpipe gold medalist at 17 years and three months old.

For a sport that has long felt like a cultural wasteland in Korea, with limited infrastructure and few visible role models, a decade-long mentorship by Korean American champion Chloe Kim not only helped Choi master tricks but also turned what could have been a simple generational shift into a shared, cross-border victory.

Long before they became Olympic rivals, the two had built a quiet bond of mentorship and trust both on and off the snow.

Born in the United States to Korean immigrant parents, Kim is regarded as one of the greatest female snowboarders in history. She won gold at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics at 17 years and 10 months old, becoming the youngest woman ever to claim an Olympic snowboarding title. Kim defended her crown at the 2022 Beijing Games and has also captured three world championship titles and eight X Games gold medals.

Then-women's halfpipe gold medalist Chloe Kim of the United States poses during the medals ceremony at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, in this Feb. 13, 2018, file photo. AP-Yonhap

Choi, eight years younger than Kim, grew up watching the Korean American superstar dominate global competitions.

Kim spoke openly before the Games about how deeply she cared for the Korean rider and embraced Choi as a little sister.

“I love Gaon so much, I have so much respect for her. I’ve known her since she was a very small child,” she said in an interview with media before the final. She added that watching Choi progress felt like “seeing kind of a mirror reflection of myself and my family” and like being part of “a big shift to Asians being dominant in snow sports.”

Choi, for her part, called competing alongside Kim “a great honor."

“Competing with her just makes me so happy, because Chloe is my idol," she said.

Early in Choi’s career, when she was injured during overseas training, Kim reportedly stepped in to translate at the hospital, shared meals with her and offered advice on recovery and life on tour.

Kim’s family later helped Choi connect with coach Ben Wisner, the former snowboard and freestyle ski director at Mammoth Mountain in California, who has guided Choi to the top of the World Cup circuit and now to Olympic gold.

Their relationship added emotional depth to a final already loaded with history.

Choi crashed hard on her opening run and lay on the snow for several minutes as medical staff checked on her, raising fears she might not finish the final. She lost her balance again and fell while trying to land her first move on the second run.

Between runs, Kim leaned over to tell her, “You got this. You’re a badass snowboarder,” according to American media reports — to which Choi answered with a near-perfect third run to take the lead. With only the top score of three attempts counting toward the medals, she made her last try count as a miraculous comeback, landing a clutch third run worth 90.25 points.

Choi Gaon is in action during the final of the women's halfpipe snowboarding event at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics at Livigno Snow Park in Livigno, Italy, Thursday (local time). Yonhap

As a result, Choi dethroned her idol, who took the silver medal this time with 88.00 points, which she got on her first run.

The podium scene captured why their story resonated far beyond the scores.

Moments after falling on her last run and losing a near-certain third gold, Kim sprinted to Choi, wrapped her in a hug and beamed through the medal ceremony, even joking later about retirement.

Choi said the moment felt bittersweet. “Of course I wanted to win gold, but I couldn’t help cheering for Chloe,” she said, adding that hearing Kim talk about stepping away from competition felt “strange” because she still sees her as an untouchable hero.

After Choi became the youngest women's halfpipe champion, breaking Kim’s own mark, Kim posted on social media: “She’s not so little anymore! I’ve known Gaon for almost a decade and now she’s doing big things! I feel like a proud mom. The future of snowboarding’s in good hands.”

Choi Gaon of South Korea, left, receives congratulations from Korean American snowboarder Chloe Kim for winning the gold medal in the women’s snowboard halfpipe final at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, at the Livigno Snow Park in Italy, Thursday (local time). Yonhap