Today's Article

The 2026 Milan-Cortina games was Choi Ga-On's first Olympics, a dream come true ever since she started snowboarding.

"Olympics has been my dream. I started snowboarding for the Olympics, so it was the most meaningful competition for me."

Choi 4took up the sport at the age of seven. It came naturally to her, as her family was into snowboarding.

Choi says her 5competitive spirit comes from doing tricks like her brother.

"When we snowboard, I always followed my brother, and whatever trick he did, I had to do it as well. I didn't want to lose."

Since she became a professional snowboarder in 2017, Choi has won 11 medals of competitions, including the X Games in 2023, where she became the youngest winner in the X Games halfpipe at just 14 years of age.

Then, in 2024, Choi suffered a back 6fracture that required three surgeries, leading her to even 7contemplate 8retirement.

"I initially only needed one surgery, but because I had 9inflammation when I came back to Korea, I had to 10undergo two more surgeries. It was so 11despairing at the time. Right after the injury, I didn't want to snowboard at all."

But she realized that snowboarding was her true love.

"When I began 12rehabilitation, I naturally thought that I needed to snowboard to be happy again."

She came back as if nothing had happened. 

Again, winning medals, sometimes next to her role model, the American snowboarding great and two-time Olympic gold medalist, Chloe Kim.

"Even when she falls in the first and second runs, Chloe unni makes a successful third run. Watching her not giving up until the end, I was really 13motivated to be like her."

Like Kim, Choi did not give up at the recent Olympics final in Italy, even when she caught the 14lip of the slope.