South Korea's skiing and snowboarding have made a "golden leap" at the Asian Winter Games held for the first time in eight years, cultivating hopes for the Winter Olympics. In the skiing and snowboarding competitions of the 2025 Harbin Asian Winter Games, which ended on the 13th, South Korea won a total of 3 gold medals, 3 silver medals and 6 bronze medals.

On the 13th, after the men's snowboard halfpipe final of the 2025 Asian Winter Games was canceled due to strong winds, the South Korean delegation was taking a group photo.

Although the total number of medals has decreased from the previous Sapporo 2017 Asian Winter Games (4 gold, 8 silver, 8 bronze), meaningful results have been achieved in variables such as strong events.

In snowboarding, Lee Chao-eun and Kim Kun-hee won gold in the men's slopestyle final and men's halfpipe final, respectively. In freestyle skiing, Lee Seung-hoon won the gold medal in the men's halfpipe final. In the alpine skiing event, Jung Dong-hyun and Kim So-hee both won silver medals in the men's and women's categories, and in the freestyle skiing men's big air event, Yoon Jong-hyun won another silver medal. In addition, Kang Dong-hoon won 2 bronze medals in the snowboard men's slopestyle final and big air, etc., and the news of the medal has been spread for several days.

Compared to eight years ago, the Korean team has won a lot of medals in the "performance" competition, led by aerial technology. At the Sapporo Asian Winter Games, the Korean team won gold medals in the snowboard slalom and giant slalom (Lee Sang-ho), the alpine skiing men's slalom (Jung Dong-hyun), and the cross-country men's 1.4km individual sprint (Golden Magnus). It's all about "who's faster" items.

Lee Seung-hoon looks like the men's freestyle skiing men's halfpipe competition at the Asian Winter Games on the 8th

A group of post-00 athletes showed a strong sense of presence in this Asian Winter Games, and the performance events led to the medal competition for South Korea's skiing and snowboarding. The gold medalists of this year's competition, Lee Seung-hoon, were born in 2005, Lee Chao-eun was born in 2006, and Kim Kun-hee was born in 2008.

With their impressive performances, South Korea's prospects for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo, which are still a year away, have become brighter. In alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, ski jumping, etc., it is difficult for South Korea to compete at the top level in the world, but it has shown international competitiveness in performance events including sub-halfpipes.

Li Chaoen, the 2023 World Championships snowboard men's halfpipe champion, and Cui Jiawen, a snowboard women's halfpipe athlete who has won multiple medals at the World Cup, can already be regarded as "world-class". Coach Kim so-chul, who is in charge of snowboard halfpipe, big air and slopestyle, emphasized: "At next year's Winter Olympics, both the men's and women's halfpipe events will aim for gold medals. Even if you can't do it, you can expect to get a medal. The most important thing is whether the athletes can participate in the Olympics without injury. ”

Choi Jiawen suffered a serious waist injury in the World Cup last January and is now gradually recovering his skills, while Li Chaoen has suffered knee and tailbone injuries.

On the 13th, in the men's and men's halfpipe finals of the Asian Winter Games held at Yabuli Ski Resort, Li Chaoen was practicing before the competition.

If they travel to Milan in the best condition, plus the activity of the snowboard speed event in 2018, which won the first Olympic medal in history in Pyeongchang (parallel giant slalom Lee Sang-ho), and the growth of Lee Seung-hoon, the first Winter Olympic gold medal and "multiple medals" in the history of skiing and snowboarding in South Korea are also worth looking forward to.

An official from the Korea Ski and Snowboard Association emphasized, "If we use European bases such as Switzerland and Austria to maximize the training time on the snow and build a 'golden hour' from now on, it will be possible to repeat the glory of the Harbin Asian Winter Games at the Milan Winter Olympics." ”