Choi Gaon of Team CJ, sponsored by CJ Group, won the gold medal in the women's snowboard halfpipe at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on the 12th local time.
On the 13th, CJ Group said the strong support it has provided since 2023 was behind Choi Gaon's achievement, which delivered the first gold medal for the Korea delegation at these Olympics and set a new record as the youngest-ever Olympic gold medalist in snowboarding at 17 years and 3 months. It noted that CJ has quietly accompanied the "board prodigy" Choi Gaon on her path to becoming the "board emperor" on the Olympic stage of her dreams.
CJ took notice of Choi Gaon's potential and growth prospects when she won the 2022 FIS (International Ski Federation) Junior World Championships, and began individual sponsorship in 2023 when she was a middle schooler. Even when she suffered a fractured back during training in Switzerland in 2024, forcing her to miss the Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics due to surgery and rehabilitation, CJ continued its support.
CJ fully backed overseas expedition expense so Choi Gaon could travel year-round to halfpipe training venues and competitions. It also provided a variety of Bibigo Korean food products, such as galbitang and yukgaejang, to help manage her condition during overseas training.
Choi Gaon said, "Given the nature of the event, there are many training trips, and thanks to CJ's support, I was able to travel around the world and train in the same environment as foreign athletes."
CJ said it has continued its sports sponsorships based on Chairman Lee Jay-hyun's "dream keeper philosophy," which supports the dreams of promising athletes with growth potential regardless of discipline. In 2018, it sponsored snowboard parallel alpine racer Lee Sang-ho, who won an Olympic silver medal. Pursuing the growth of both individual athletes and their sports, it is contributing to the development of Korea's sports by supporting the entire national speedskating team, including Team CJ's Kim Min-sun, who is competing at the Milan Olympics.
A CJ official said, "We are very pleased that Choi Gaon showed an indomitable spirit of challenge to the end and achieved the result of an Olympic gold medal," adding, "We will continue to provide unsparing support so that promising athletes can boldly pursue challenges toward becoming global No. 1."