Gaon Choi, a 17-year-old South Korean snowboarder making her Olympic debut, won the women's halfpipe gold medal with a score of 90.25 on her third and final run. Chloe Kim of the USA, the defending two-time Olympic champion, finished second with a score of 88.00.
Choi crashed badly on her first run, flipping upside down and landing on her head, then sat on the ground for several minutes receiving medical attention. She said she hurt her knee and cried afterward, considering withdrawing. She fell again on her second run. On her third attempt, she delivered a clean performance with difficult spins and jumps to overtake Kim's leading score.
Kim had dislocated her left shoulder in training in Switzerland in early January, about five weeks before the Olympics. The injury required her to wear a brace and limited her preparation time to approximately two weeks. She scored 88.00 on her first run, which led the competition for most of the event. She fell on her second run. On her final run, with Choi ahead, Kim attempted a more difficult routine but fell, securing silver. Kim stated she will likely need surgery after returning home. The competition took place in heavy snowfall, and multiple competitors fell throughout the event. Japan's Mitsuki Ono won bronze.
