[2025 Harbin Winter Asian Games]
Lee Chae-woon (Surigo High School, 19), the 'face' of Korean snowboarding, won the gold medal in the slope style event at the 2025 Harbin Winter Asian Games, rewriting the history of Korea's 'snow sports.'
Lee Chae-woon won first place in the men's slope style final held on the 8th at the Yabuli Ski Resort in Heilongjiang Province, China, scoring 90 points. Slope style, a freestyle event, involves navigating various courses, including rails and jumps, showcasing technical skills. Lee Chae-woon is the first athlete from South Korea to win a gold medal in freestyle snowboarding.
Lee Chae-woon qualified for the finals by finishing second (89.50 points) in the second round of the preliminary competition held that morning. First place went to China's Yang Wenlong. In the snowboarding preliminaries, rankings for advancement to the finals are determined by the higher score between the first and second rounds.
Initially, Lee planned to participate only in the halfpipe event at this Asian Games but added the slope style event just before the competition. Expectations for a medal increased for the halfpipe final taking place on the 13th.
Lee Chae-woon gained attention by winning the men's halfpipe at the 2023 International Ski Federation (FIS) World Championships at the youngest age on record (16 years and 10 months). Last year, at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games held in Gangwon Province, he achieved victory in both the men's halfpipe and slope style events, becoming a dual champion.
Following Lee Chae-woon and Liu Haoyu (China, 76 points), Kang Dong-hoon (Gorim High School) finished third with 74 points, earning a bronze medal. Lee Dong-hyun (Siheung Mae-hwa High School) withdrew from the first round of the preliminaries.