Born in 2008, Choi Ga-on (Sehwa Girls' High School) was limping. But she did not give up her final attempt, and with that jump she made history by hanging the first Olympic gold medal in the history of Korean skiing and snowboarding around her neck.

After winning the women's snowboard halfpipe at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics at Livigno Snow Park in Italy on the 13th, Choi said, "I am very happy that my first Olympic medal is a gold. I can't believe it," adding, "It's also an honor that this is the first gold medal for the Korean delegation."

Choi scored 90.25 in the final, topping Chloe Kim (USA, 88 points), an ethnic Korean athlete who won gold at Pyeongchang 2018 and Beijing 2022, to take the title. Having swept various international events since the 2023 X Games and entered these Olympics as a gold-medal favorite, Choi surpassed Chloe Kim, widely regarded as the best in the world, signaling that her era has begun.

It was the first Olympic gold ever for South Korea in any snow event, and the delegation's first gold medal of these Games.

On her first run, her board caught on the lip of the pipe and she took a heavy fall, suffering an injury, yet she scripted a dramatic comeback. She also failed to put together a clean performance on her second run, raising concerns, but amid heavy snowfall she finally completed her third run, received the highest score, and shed tears of joy.

After the event, Choi explained, "After the first run, there was no strength in my leg and I thought I couldn't do it. I cried a lot thinking, 'Should I end my Olympics here?' Then in my head I heard, 'You can do it. You have to go,' and that let me move forward. I gritted my teeth and told myself, 'Trust your leg and go for it.'"

After finishing the third run, she smiled, saying, "At least I landed it. Even hurt, I finished it." She added, "I didn't see the score or the ranking; a Japanese athlete next to me told me and I was surprised," and, "I was a bit shaken after getting hurt, but I still did well, and that made me cry."

Choi said, "I took pride in having worked the hardest among these athletes," and emphasized, "I think the gold medal was given from above." She named her father and coach Ben Wisner (USA), with whom she has worked since childhood, as the people she is most grateful to. She said, "My dad accepts me even when I'm cranky and also coaches me on technique. I feel truly grateful to Ben as well."

Having achieved her dream of becoming an Olympic gold medalist before turning 18, she vowed not to stop here. She stressed, "I will keep riding hard so I can become an athlete who surpasses myself in the future."