The athlete who waited the longest was the first to step onto the podium. The eldest member of Korea's delegation, Kim Sang-gyeom, opened Korea's medal run in Italy with his first Olympic medal.
Kim Sang-gyeom won the silver medal, finishing 0.19 seconds behind Benjamin Karl (Austria) in the final of the snowboard parallel giant slalom at the 2026 Milan–Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics, held Feb. 8 (all times Korea time) at Livigno Snow Park in the province of Sondrio, Italy. It was Korea's first medal at the Games and the first time Kim Sang-gyeom stood on the podium after his fourth Olympic attempt.
The final race remained tense until the end. Kim Sang-gyeom, who chose the blue course, got a better start and took the lead by passing the first timing section 0.17 seconds faster. But his balance faltered in the middle section, allowing Karl to overtake him again.
Kim Sang-gyeom did not give up. He boldly increased his speed in the remaining sections, succeeded in regaining the lead, and staged a final showdown before the finish line. But in the last section Karl surged once more, and Kim Sang-gyeom crossed the finish line 0.19 seconds later. The result was a silver medal.
His opponent was a veteran who had already proven everything on the Olympic stage. Karl is a world-class athlete who collected medals across the Vancouver, Sochi and Beijing Olympics. Although the silver came after a fierce battle, Kim Sang-gyeom accepted the result with a contemplative expression, replaying the race in his mind rather than showing emotion.
This silver medal is even more special for Kim Sang-gyeom. He had repeatedly stopped just short of the podium at the world championships and in three previous Olympic Games. Only on his fourth attempt did he finally put an end to the long wait.
A native of Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, Kim Sang-gyeom began snowboarding in middle school. The explosive quickness he developed while also competing in track sprinting, long jump and high jump suited the parallel giant slalom, a discipline decided in a short amount of time.
But his athletic career was not always smooth. After graduating from Korea National Sport University in 2011, he had to worry about making a living because there was no corporate team, and he worked day labor jobs in the off-season. Even during training periods he had to work part-time on weekends. Later, when a corporate team was founded, he was able to focus on training, and he quietly improved his skills.
This tournament also had a difficult start. He was in danger of elimination after placing 18th in the first qualifying round, but he improved his ranking in the second qualifying round. With a total time of 1:27.18 he rose to eighth place and dramatically advanced to the final tournament.
The round of 16 and the quarterfinals went with the flow. Opportunities opened up for Kim Sang-gyeom as strong competitors such as Zan Kosir and Ronald Fischnaller fell or abandoned their runs during races. The development was so unexpected that commentators at the venue repeatedly called it an upset.
But he proved himself in the semifinals. On the blue course he came from behind after the midsection to beat Tervel Zampirov and secure his place in the final. At that moment Kim Sang-gyeom had already secured his first Olympic medal.
Although he did not reach the gold medal, Kim Sang-gyeom's silver remains another meaningful record in Korea's history in snow sports. It is the second Olympic medal since Lee Sang-ho won silver at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, and it was the 400th Olympic medal overall for Korea across summer and winter Games.
Kim Sang-gyeom was also the one to break the long silence in Italy. The eldest member of the delegation was the first to mount the podium and greeted the crowd with a deep bow.
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