The American snowboarding icon watched helplessly as 17-year-old Choi Ga-on of South Korea delivered a jaw-dropping final run to claim gold in the women’s halfpipe at Milano Cortina 2026. Kim, who won gold in PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022, settled for silver—marking her first Olympic loss ever.
The finish was even more remarkable considering what happened earlier. Choi crashed violently during the final but recovered to post a score of 90.25 on her final attempt, outpacing Kim’s 88.00. The upset delivered South Korea its first gold medal of these Games.
Day 6 Medal Highlights
- Xandra Velzeboer (Netherlands): Shattered her own world record in women’s 500m short track, clocking 41.399 seconds in semifinals before winning gold
- Federica Brignone (Italy): Host nation’s first alpine skiing gold in women’s super-G
- Cooper Woods (Australia): Defeated Canadian legend Mikael Kingsbury in moguls on a tiebreak after both scored 83.71 points
- Alessandro Haemmerle (Austria): Defended snowboard cross title by 0.03 seconds
The Netherlands Dominates Short Track
Dutch skaters swept both short track finals Thursday. Jens van ‘t Wout won the men’s 1000m just hours after Velzeboer’s record-breaking performance. The double gold cemented the Netherlands’ emergence as a short track powerhouse.
Why It Matters
Kim’s loss marks the end of an era in women’s snowboarding. No female halfpipe rider had ever won three consecutive Olympic titles—a feat Kim seemed destined to achieve. Instead, Choi Ga-on becomes the youngest Korean snowboarder to win Olympic gold and signals a generational shift in the sport. The upset ranks among the biggest surprises of Milano Cortina 2026, stunning the sold-out crowd in Livigno.
Chloe Kim’s quest for Olympic immortality ended in stunning defeat Thursday night.
The American snowboarding icon watched helplessly as 17-year-old Choi Ga-on of South Korea delivered a jaw-dropping final run to claim gold in the women’s halfpipe at Milano Cortina 2026. Kim, who won gold in PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022, settled for silver—marking her first Olympic loss ever.
The finish was even more remarkable considering what happened earlier. Choi crashed violently during the final but recovered to post a score of 90.25 on her final attempt, outpacing Kim’s 88.00. The upset delivered South Korea its first gold medal of these Games.
Day 6 Medal Highlights
- Xandra Velzeboer (Netherlands): Shattered her own world record in women’s 500m short track, clocking 41.399 seconds in semifinals before winning gold
- Federica Brignone (Italy): Host nation’s first alpine skiing gold in women’s super-G
- Cooper Woods (Australia): Defeated Canadian legend Mikael Kingsbury in moguls on a tiebreak after both scored 83.71 points
- Alessandro Haemmerle (Austria): Defended snowboard cross title by 0.03 seconds
The Netherlands Dominates Short Track
Dutch skaters swept both short track finals Thursday. Jens van ‘t Wout won the men’s 1000m just hours after Velzeboer’s record-breaking performance. The double gold cemented the Netherlands’ emergence as a short track powerhouse.
Why It Matters
Kim’s loss marks the end of an era in women’s snowboarding. No female halfpipe rider had ever won three consecutive Olympic titles—a feat Kim seemed destined to achieve. Instead, Choi Ga-on becomes the youngest Korean snowboarder to win Olympic gold and signals a generational shift in the sport. The upset ranks among the biggest surprises of Milano Cortina 2026, stunning the sold-out crowd in Livigno.
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