On a crisp February morning at Italy’s Livigno Snowpark, the world’s snowboarding elite gathered for the men’s halfpipe final of the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. Among the field, one name stood out for Korean fans: Lee Chaeun, a 19-year-old phenom from Kyung Hee University, who had already etched his name in the sport’s history books. Though he ultimately finished sixth with a score of 87.50, Lee’s performance marked a new high-water mark for Korean snowboarding and delivered a story of resilience, innovation, and raw emotion.
Lee’s journey to the Olympic final wasn’t a straightforward ascent. Just two days earlier, he had squeaked into the top 12 qualifiers, ranking ninth with a score of 82.00—a solid, if not spectacular, performance. But the final would demand something extraordinary. As the world watched, Lee set out to prove that he belonged among the sport’s very best, facing down not only the pressure of the Olympic stage but also the ghosts of past disappointments and the weight of national expectation.
The final itself was a rollercoaster of nerves and ambition. Lee’s first run started with promise as he landed a switch backside double cork 1260 and a cab double cork 1440, but disaster struck when he attempted his secret weapon: the frontside triple cork 1620. He lost his balance on landing, tumbling down the icy pipe and earning just 24.75 points—good for only ninth place after the first round. The second run brought more of the same. Lee completed a switch backside double cork 1080 and a backside double cork 1260, but faltered again on the frontside double cork 1440, leaving him with another 24.75 points and a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.
“I worked so hard I could cry blood, but I realized once again how high the world’s wall is,” Lee admitted after the competition, his eyes red with emotion. “I really gave it everything, but what I prepared wasn’t enough. It was only enough for myself.”
But if there’s one thing that defines great athletes, it’s their ability to rise when it matters most. As Lee prepared for his third and final run, he exchanged a long look with his father, who offered a simple but powerful encouragement: “You can do it.” With that, Lee dropped into the pipe, determined to leave nothing behind.
What followed was a performance for the ages. Lee nailed his signature triple cork 1620—a mind-bending trick involving four and a half spins—becoming, by all accounts, the first athlete in the world to land it successfully in competition. He followed it with a double cork 1440, not once, but twice, and completed a suite of high-difficulty tricks that brought the crowd to its feet. As he landed his final jump, Lee let out a roar of triumph, the weight of two failed runs momentarily forgotten.
Then came the wait. Lee knelt in prayer, eyes squeezed shut, hoping for a score worthy of his historic run. “I expected to get about 92 or 92.5 points,” he later confessed, “but when 87.5 came up, I couldn’t hide my disappointment.” Four other competitors had already broken the 90-point barrier, and Lee’s hopes for a podium finish slipped away. Still, the significance of his achievement was not lost on anyone watching.
Jake Pates, a fellow competitor from the United States, approached Lee after the event and offered heartfelt support. “You should be number one,” Pates told him. “You’re number one in my heart.” That sentiment was echoed by fans and teammates alike, who recognized the magnitude of Lee’s breakthrough—regardless of what the judges’ numbers said.
For Korean snowboarding, Lee’s sixth-place finish was nothing short of revolutionary. Before him, no Korean male had ever reached the Olympic halfpipe final. The previous bests—Kim Hojun’s 26th in Vancouver 2010, Lee Kwang-gi’s 14th in PyeongChang 2018, and Lee Ji-o’s 13th earlier in the same Games—paled in comparison. Lee’s run in Livigno reset the bar, showing that Korean athletes could not only compete but innovate at the sport’s highest level.
Lee’s rise hasn’t been without setbacks. At the 2022 Beijing Olympics, he was the youngest member of the Korean team, just shy of his 16th birthday, but failed to advance past the qualifiers, finishing 18th. He rebounded in spectacular fashion, capturing the men’s halfpipe world championship at just 16 years and 10 months—the youngest ever to do so. Even a knee surgery and subsequent slump in the following year couldn’t keep him from returning to the Olympic stage, stronger and more determined than ever.
“Just being the first to land the triple cork 1620 makes me proud of myself,” Lee reflected, tears streaming down his face in the post-competition mixed zone. “It’s disappointing, but I feel relieved. After landing that last trick, I thought, ‘I did it. I overcame the pressure.’”
He also looked ahead, vowing to push even harder for the next Olympic cycle. “If blood, sweat, and tears aren’t enough, I’ll give everything I have,” he said. “For the next Olympics, I’ll train as if I’m already dead. I want to stand on the highest step of the podium.”
The men’s halfpipe medals went to Yuto Totsuka of Japan, who dazzled with a 95.00-point run, taking gold and securing Japan’s second consecutive Olympic title in the event after Ayumu Hirano’s 2022 victory. Australia’s Scotty James claimed silver with 93.50, and Ryusei Yamada of Japan took bronze with 92.00. Four riders in total broke the elusive 90-point mark, underscoring the fierce level of competition. Australia’s Valentino Guseli narrowly edged Lee for fifth place with 88.00, while Hirano, the defending champion, finished seventh at 86.50.
As the snow settled in Livigno, Lee Chaeun stood at the center of a new chapter for Korean snowboarding. He may not have left Italy with a medal, but he brought home something perhaps even more valuable: proof that the impossible can be done, and that the next generation is ready to dream even bigger. The world will be watching to see what he does next.