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South Korea hails 'miracle' Choi after teen's landmark Olympic gold / Photo: Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV - AFP
South Korea hails 'miracle' Choi after teen's landmark Olympic gold
South Korea celebrated snowboarding sensation Choi Gaon as a "miracle girl" and history-maker on Friday after soaring to the country's first Olympic gold in the sport.
The 17-year-old recovered from a horror crash to dethrone the United States' two-time defending champion Chloe Kim in the halfpipe on Thursday in Italy.
Choi is the first athlete from South Korea to win an Olympic gold medal in snow sports and it was also the nation's first gold at the 2026 Winter Games.
Multiple South Korean newspapers carried headlines that dubbed Choi the nation's "miracle girl".
President Lee Jae Myung said her performance had written a "new chapter in the history of South Korean snowboarding".
"Her performance deeply resonated not only with South Koreans but with audiences around the world," Lee said in a statement.
Lee said Choi "did not waver" after a brutal fall that drew audible gasps from the crowd during her first run.
Local media outlet Financial News said that Choi's "fierce determination moved even the Olympic gods".
Choi, who was cheered on by a knot of South Korean fans at Livigno Snow Park, was born in Yangpyeong, in the northern province of Gyeonggi.
Reportedly a fan of K-pop mega-star G-Dragon, she grew up in a snowboarding family with both parents and her three siblings taking up the sport.
A video from nine years ago showing all six family members riding together resurfaced online following her Olympic triumph.
Despite being beaten into second, the American Kim spoke fondly of her protege afterwards.
"She's my baby," said Kim, 25, who is widely popular in South Korea because of her Korean heritage.
T. MacDonald--SMC
