A Buddhist monk has drawn international attention after South Korea won landmark Olympic snowboard medals, capping decades of his support for young athletes in a sport long unpopular at home. Snowboarding has long failed to gain popularity in South Korea,

South Korea celebrated snowboarding sensation Choi Gaon as a "miracle girl" and history-maker on Friday after soaring to the country's first Olympic gold in the sport. Choi is the first athlete from South Korea to win an Olympic gold medal in snow sports and it was also the nation's first gold at the 2026 Winter Games.

Korea's Gaon Choi, 17, rebounded from a hard fall to win gold — and end her role model's historic bid for three in a row in the Winter Olympic halfpipe.

LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — Some might say the seeds of an Olympic-sized surprise in snowboarding were planted a month ago. That’s when Chloe Kim went skittering down a halfpipe in Switzerland, smashing her shoulder and turning her run for a third straight gold medal into a less-than-perfect scramble.

"Amid pressing international conflicts, the Olympics is one of the most significant geopolitical events of the year."

Kim won silver, just behind Choi Gaon of South Korea at the 2026 Games on Feb. 12

It was a busy Day 6 of the Winter Olympic Games in Milan Cortina as Chloe Kim and Breezy Johnson went for gold and the fallout of the Ukrainian slider disqualification continued.

Two South Korean Olympic skiers were caught using an illegal substance on their equipment, leading to their disqualification.