Seventeen-year-old South Korean snowboarder Choi Gaon claimed her first World Cup title of the season in the women's halfpipe at the FIS Snowboard World Cup in Zhangjiakou, China, on Friday, staging a dramatic comeback in her second run. She scored 92.75 points to finish 2.50 points ahead of Japan's Rise Kudo, with China's Cai Xuetong taking third at 80.50. The victory, her first since December 2023, bodes well for her medal hopes at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in February.
Choi Gaon, 17, topped the qualification round earlier in the week with 93.00 points but managed only 23.75 points in her first run of the final, hampered by poor weather conditions. This left her in last place, as three athletes starting behind her after the first run posted higher scores in their second attempts. Undeterred, Choi delivered the highest score of the entire final in her second run to secure the victory.
In a statement from her Seoul-based agency, All That Sports, Choi said she attempted some of her best moves in the first run but was affected by the bad weather. "I really bore down in the second run and nailed my moves," she added. "I didn't want to lose. And with the Olympics just around the corner, I will try to do my best there and have no regrets."
The win marks Choi's first World Cup title since December 2023, highlighting her potential ahead of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in February. The next stop on the World Cup tour is Copper Mountain, Colorado, next week.
The event was organized by the International Ski Federation (FIS) in Zhangjiakou, China. Choi's performance signals positive momentum for South Korea's snowboard team as they prepare for the Olympics.
