In December 2021, the year she turned 13, she won the women’s snowboard giant slalom at the Gyeonggi Governor’s Cup ski competition. In March 2022, she won the women’s halfpipe at the FIS Junior World Championships in Switzerland, and in May she was selected for the national team.
The breakthrough yearOn Jan. 13, 2023, the year she turned 15, she signed with the management company All That Sports. Sixteen days later, as the first Korean snowboarder invited, she competed in the X Games women’s superpipe in Aspen, Colorado, and won, breaking Chloe Kim’s record as the youngest X Games superpipe winner. In February, she won the Dew Tour superpipe with 98.33 points, the highest score ever in the event, again as the youngest winner, and in December she won her FIS Snowboard World Cup debut.
In January 2024, she hurt her back at a World Cup in Switzerland and was told that surgery was needed. The injury kept her out of that year’s Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics. In January 2025, she won bronze at a World Cup, her first event back after a year. In February, she finished second at the World Cup in the U.S., and in March she finished 12th at the World Championships after a mistake in the final. In December, she won World Cup events two weeks in a row.
In January 2026, she won the World Cup in Switzerland and had won every World Cup she entered that season. Forbes introduced eight Olympic medal candidates and mentioned her first. On Feb. 11 she qualified for the final in sixth place, and in the final on the 13th she failed her first and second runs but scored 90.25 points on her third and won. It was South Korea’s first Olympic gold in a snow sport.
She posted on social media that she had suffered three fractures in the final, and she is to receive a 300 million won bonus from the Korea Ski and Snowboard Association. In March she received a scholarship at Sehwa Girls’ High School, and in September she was invited to the Snow League World Challenge in New Zealand.
Choi Ga-on (born Nov 3, 2008) won the women’s halfpipe at the FIS Junior World Championships in Mar 2022, the year she turned 14, and became known when she won the X Games superpipe in the U.S. as the youngest ever on Jan 29, 2023, the year she turned 15. In 2026, the year she turned 18, she won an Olympic gold medal.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
Won the women’s snowboard giant slalom at an event held in Gyeonggi Province.
Source 01 · Hankook Sports Economy (Korean) · Junior World Championships, three winners including Choi Ga-on · opens in a new tabAs the youngest competitor at the event in Leysin, Switzerland, she scored 94 points and beat the American Bea Kim (84) for the win.
Source 01 · Hankook Sports Economy (Korean) · Junior World Championships, three winners including Choi Ga-on · opens in a new tab The article’s “9th” is given as the date of Lee Chae-un’s final, so the date of Choi Ga-on’s event was not confirmed.Selected for the national team.
Source 02 · Seoul Economic Daily (Korean) · Choi Ga-on becomes the youngest X Games superpipe champion · opens in a new tabSigned with the sports management company All That Sports.
Source 03 · STN Sports (Korean) · Choi Ga-on signs a management contract with All That Sports · opens in a new tabBecame the first Korean snowboarder invited to the X Games and won at the 27th edition, at Buttermilk Ski Resort in Aspen, Colorado. At just under 14 years 3 months, she broke Chloe Kim’s youngest-winner record (14 years 9 months).
Won with 98.33 points, the highest score ever in the event, and also set a new youngest-winner record.
Source 04 · SBS (Korean) · Choi Ga-on wins the Dew Tour with the highest score and as the youngest · opens in a new tabScored 92.75 points in the final at Copper Mountain, Colorado, and won in her World Cup debut.
Source 05 · Edaily (Korean) · Choi Ga-on wins gold in her World Cup debut · opens in a new tabShe fell in a practice run just before the final of the FIS World Cup in Laax, Switzerland, hurt her back and was told on site that surgery was needed. The injury ruled her out of both the X Games and the 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics.
Source 06 · Newsis (Korean) · Choi Ga-on misses Gangwon 2024 with a back injury · opens in a new tabWon bronze at the FIS World Cup in Laax, Switzerland, her first event back after a year.
Source 07 · JoongAng Ilbo (Korean) · Choi Ga-on takes World Cup bronze in her comeback · opens in a new tabFinished second at the U.S. World Cup, which Chloe Kim won.
Source 10 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Choi Ga-on wins a halfpipe World Cup for a second straight week · opens in a new tabMade a mistake in the final at the World Championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland, and finished 12th. Chloe Kim won with 93.50 points.
Source 08 · Sports Chosun (Korean) · Choi Ga-on vs. Chloe Kim, Olympic preview · opens in a new tabWon with 92.75 points in Zhangjiakou, Hebei, China. It was her second career World Cup win, after her debut.
Source 09 · SBS (Korean) · Choi Ga-on wins a snowboard World Cup · opens in a new tabWon with 94.50 points at Copper Mountain, Colorado, for her third career World Cup win. It was her first World Cup win in an event Chloe Kim entered.
Source 10 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Choi Ga-on wins a halfpipe World Cup for a second straight week · opens in a new tabWon with 92.50 points in Laax, Switzerland. She won every World Cup she entered in the 2025-26 season.
Source 11 · SBS (Korean) · Choi Ga-on wins her third World Cup of the season · opens in a new tabForbes, the U.S. business magazine, introduced eight people who could reach the Olympic snowboard halfpipe podium and mentioned Choi Ga-on first.
Source 12 · Chosun Ilbo (Korean) · Choi Ga-on gets Forbes’s attention · opens in a new tabScored 82.25 points in qualification in Livigno, Italy, and advanced to the final in sixth place among 24.
Source 13 · Star News (Korean) · Choi Ga-on advances to the halfpipe final · opens in a new tabAfter failing her first and second runs in the women’s halfpipe final, she scored 90.25 points on her third run and won. It was South Korea’s first Olympic gold in a snow sport, and it stopped Chloe Kim’s bid for a third straight Olympic title.
Source 14 · Dong-A Ilbo (Korean) · Choi Ga-on, South Korea’s first snow-sport gold · opens in a new tabSource 15 · Sports Chosun (Korean) · Choi Ga-on, 300 million won for gold · opens in a new tab The date is Korean time; it was the 12th local time. Sports Chosun wrote that she also set the record as the youngest gold medalist in the event (17 years 3 months).She is to receive the Korea Ski and Snowboard Association’s 300 million won Olympic gold medal bonus.
Source 15 · Sports Chosun (Korean) · Choi Ga-on, 300 million won for gold · opens in a new tabPosted on her social media that she had suffered three fractures in the Olympic final. She was seen limping at the medal ceremony.
Source 16 · The Korea Herald · Choi Ga-on suffers 3 fractures · opens in a new tabAt a scholarship ceremony at her high school, Sehwa Girls’ High School, she received a special foundation scholarship of 10 million won from the Iljusehwa Foundation of the Taekwang Group.
Source 17 · Financial News (Korean) · Choi Ga-on and Shin Ji-a, Sehwa Girls’ High School scholarships · opens in a new tabShe is the only Korean invited to the Snow League World Challenge on the 19th in Cardrona, New Zealand, and was assigned to the Asia-Pacific team. It is the first edition of the event held in a team-competition format.
Source 18 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Choi Ga-on at the Snow League World Challenge · opens in a new tab The result of the event was not confirmed in news reports.END OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 2021–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.
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Sports · South Korea
Nov 3, 2008 —
Ages are counted from the birth year 2008: the year of the event minus 2008, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.
Fact-checked: 2026.09.28 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.