Korea’s Gaon Choi, believed to be one of Chloe Kim’s biggest challengers, took a brutal fall during her first run in the final halfpipe event at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
After an incredible start, Choi was attempting a front-side 1080 when she hit the lip of the pipe, skidded into the middle of the course and lay motionless.
“That lip right there is hard as polished marble. It’s icy, this halfpipe is very set up,” Olympian and commentator Todd Richards said.
According to Richards, Choi was “absolutely going for it” in her run, but she didn’t get enough clearance in the front-side 1080 to land back in the pipe.
Choi quickly received medical attention and was eventually able to get up under her own power and ride away.
It was not immediately clear if she would continue in the competition.
The fall was one of several in the halfpipe finals as snow continued to fall during the event, though it was unclear if weather or visibility played a role in the mishaps.
The dramatic moment marked the latest snowboarding fall to make headlines this Olympics.
In women’s halfpipe qualifying Wednesday, China’s Liu Jiayu suffered a grisly fall when she caught an edge on her landing at the bottom of the course. Her head snapped to the ground and the momentum propelled her legs and back over her head — a wreck that’s called a “Scorpion” for the way it resembles the arachnid when its stinger is raised.
Liu received treatment for a head injury but suffered no major injuries to her spine.
Australian snowboarder Cam Bolton took a nasty fall during a training mishap earlier this week, and despite reportedly walking away from the crash, he later had to be airlifted from the mountain with a broken neck.
The accident came just days before he was set to compete in snowboard cross Thursday.
Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris suffered a concussion and pelvic injuries during a nasty fall in training on the big air course before the Games started.
McMorris said he caught a dreaded “snow snake” — some near-invisible chunk of snow or debris that wedges under the board — and took a tumble that led to an abdominal strain, some bruising at the top of his pelvis and the concussion but no fractures.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
