It was supposed to be a coronation. A third straight Olympic gold for Chloe Kim — something no snowboarder had ever done. Simple, right? Not quite.
Instead, it was 17-year-old Choi Ga-on who stood tallest at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
Landing a breathtaking final run worth 90.25 — the exact score Kim had led qualifying with. And the story? It gets better.
The two first met nine years ago before the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, when Kim herself was a teenage prodigy.
Seeing Choi’s talent, Kim and her father helped her train in the US.
Now they were side by side on the podium. “It’s such a full circle moment,” Kim said.
Triumph Over Adversity
Choi’s final nearly ended before it began. She slammed hard on her first run and lay motionless.
Later admitted she “cried really hard,” wondering if she should quit. But she didn’t. She soared.
Kim, competing with a brace after dislocating her shoulder, pushed back with everything she had. A fall on her final attempt sealed silver.
Sometimes sport isn’t about dominance. It’s about legacy — and watching the next star rise.
