The story of the tears of the gold medal created by Choi Ga-on, father: "I feel like flying to the sky" [2026 Milan]

Choi In-young, father of Choi Ga-woon (Sehwa High School), who won the first Olympic gold medal in cross-country skiing in South Korea, expressed his excitement during an interview with Yonhap News Agency. "It feels like I'm flying. When he first started, I was worried that he might get hurt and quit, but now it feels like a dream."

Choi Ga-on won the gold medal in the women's halfpipe skiing and snowboarding final of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, held at the Rivigno Snow Park in Italy on the 13th (Korean time), scoring 90.25 points, surpassing Chloe Kim (88.00 points) and Miki Ono (Japan, 85.00 points). Choi became the first-ever Winter Olympic gold medalist in South Korean ski (snowboarding) history and the first gold medalist for the South Korean delegation at this competition. She also set a new record as the youngest gold medalist in this event at the Winter Olympics, at 17 years and 3 months old. Although her prospects for a medal looked dim after falling in both the first and second runs, she made a miraculous rise in the third run.

Choi In-young said about the first stage, "I got injured trying the same technique I used when I hurt my back badly at the Swiss Lakes World Cup in early 2024, which made me feel like I was reliving the past and I was really surprised." She also revealed, "(Gao Ni) thought 'It's over now.'" She continued, "Since she came down slowly, I felt relieved and thought it would be good to encourage her, but since she couldn't put any strength in her knees and legs, I also thought that getting back on the board in this situation might be dangerous." She added, "Gao Ni is a competitor who can succeed when she gets one chance. She has strong mental power. I thought that instead of aiming for first place, even if she lowers her level, it would be nice to see her ride beautifully until the end. But when she succeeded in the third stage, I felt very proud and also sorry."

Choi In-young gave up her business and fully supported Choe Ga-on. She followed her daughter around abroad and watched her growth from the side. Choi said, "This gold medal is not something I created, but it's because of the help from those around me. I am grateful to people like Kim Soo-chul, the national team coach, for allowing me to accompany the team and for supporting and watching over my daughter." She then said, "Ga-on has only trained very hard so far, but there are still things she lacks. I hope she can supplement these aspects and also learn 'life lessons.' I hope she can live with more self-confidence, love, and pride in herself."

Bae Jong-hyun, reporter bjh1025@edaily.co.kr