Fearless Teen Yoo Seung-eun Wins Olympic Snowboard Bronze with 1440-Degree Spin

LIVIGNO, Italy — In the second run of the women's snowboard big air final, Yoo Seung-eun launched off the jump at 54.16 km/h, soared 5.84 meters high, and flew for 2.30 seconds before landing at 56.34 km/h. She successfully executed a "frontside triple cork 1440" — a forward-jumping aerial maneuver involving 1440 degrees of rotation — and celebrated by throwing her board.

This was her secret weapon, held back during qualifiers. The frontside triple cork is primarily used by male athletes, requiring the rider to jump forward and twist the body axis three times while completing four 360-degree rotations before landing. It is considered among the most difficult tricks because athletes cannot see their landing spot until touchdown.

"It was so exhilarating that I threw my board without realizing it," Yoo said in a phone interview with Seoul Economic Daily on February 10. "I had never successfully landed this trick before, and I pulled it off on the Olympic stage — wouldn't you say that warrants such a reaction?"

The 17-year-old high school junior from Yongin Seongbok High School, competing for Lotte Ski & Snowboard Team, won bronze with 171 points at Livigno Snow Park. Japan's Kokomo Murase took gold with 179 points, while New Zealand's Zoi Sadowski-Synnott claimed silver with 172.25 points.

"I'm happy to reach the podium I aimed for, and I'm truly proud of myself," Yoo said, her voice still trembling slightly over the phone. "I've thought a lot about what winning an Olympic medal means. My conclusion was that if anyone felt moved or entertained watching my performance, that's enough."

This marks South Korea's second medal at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, following Kim Sang-gyeom's silver in parallel giant slalom. Yoo became the first Korean female ski or snowboard athlete to win an Olympic medal. Previously, Korea's only skiing medals came from Lee Sang-ho's silver at the 2018 PyeongChang Games and Kim's silver at this Olympics, both in alpine snowboard events.

"Short track has long been considered Korea's flagship winter sport, but snowboarding has already produced two medals at these Games," Yoo said. "With so many talented athletes in halfpipe as well, I believe snowboarding can become another flagship sport for Korea at the Winter Olympics. I'd be honored if this medal helps promote Korean snowboarding even a little."

Big air involves riders descending a slope exceeding 30 meters, launching off a massive jump, and being scored on aerial maneuvers, distance, and landing. The high speeds make even small mistakes prone to causing serious injuries. Over the past year, Yoo broke her wrist and ankle and dislocated her elbow, requiring two major surgeries. Despite these setbacks — challenging for any high school sophomore born in 2008 — she persevered. In December, she dramatically secured her Olympic berth with a runner-up finish at the final FIS Snowboard World Cup before the Games.

Competing in her first Olympics after overcoming adversity, Yoo showed no fear. In the first finals run, she landed a "backside triple cork 1440," spinning four times backward. In the second run, she nailed the frontside triple cork 1440. Though she failed to land in the third run, under rules counting only the two best scores, she secured bronze.

"Injuries prevented me from doing much for a year, but this experience gave me courage that I can do it again," Yoo said with a smile. "It's an honor to represent Korea in snowboarding, and I'm glad we showed that Koreans can compete at this level."

President Lee Jae-myung praised Yoo, saying her "bold challenging spirit and unwavering concentration in such a high-risk sport as big air brought wonder and deep inspiration to all Korean people."

With Yoo's medal, Korea achieved its first multiple-medal haul in snow sports at a single Olympics. The Korea Ski and Snowboard Association plans to award Yoo 100 million won and Kim Sang-gyeom 200 million won in prize money. Lotte Group, serving as the association's title sponsor since 2014, has invested approximately 30 billion won in skiing and snowboarding over the past 12 years with Chairman Shin Dong-bin's full support. In 2022, Lotte established its Ski & Snowboard team, providing promising athletes with signing bonuses, training expenses, psychological counseling, and English education.