One of Kim’s proteges upended the two-time defending gold medalist
Chloe Kim’s incredible run atop the Olympic women’s snowboard halfpipe world came to a dramatic end Thursday as 17-year-old Korean Gaon Choi — who has called Kim her idol and mentor — pulled off a stunning win amid snowy conditions at the Livigno Snow Park.
It hardly looked like Choi would even get a chance to compete with Kim, much less beat her. Choi took a brutal landing on her first run and was nearly out of the competition; Kim laid down a strong 88.00 first run, which put her into the lead. But Choi came back for her second run and then put down a huge third-run 90.25. Kim, who fell on her second run, had one final chance to beat Choi with her final run of the night, but she fell again.
Kim finished with the silver, ending her pursuit of becoming the first snowboarder to win three straight Olympic golds in any single competition.
South Korea’s Choi Gaon strikes GOLD in the women’s halfpipe! 🥇 pic.twitter.com/D80Ln7WaHS
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) February 12, 2026
Kim’s silver was one of two medals for the United States on Thursday. Jessie Diggins battled through bruised ribs to win bronze in the women’s cross country 10km ski with a tremendous late effort. It’s the first time a U.S. athlete has ever medaled in the event.
The U.S. has now moved into a tie with Norway for second-most medals these Olympics (14), behind host Italy (17).
In the afternoon, the men’s hockey team crushed Latvia 5-1 in its opening game of the preliminary round. The U.S. had two goals waived off in the first period, and the game was tied 1-1 after 20 minutes. It proved to be only a matter of time, though, before the dams broke. Brock Nelson (twice) and Tage Thompson scored in a second-period barrage, and captain Auston Matthews added a tally in the third period.
Team USA will return to action Saturday against Denmark.
Friday brings a bevy of medal events, including the men’s figure skating free skate, where U.S. star Ilia Malinin looks to close out a gold medal; he leads after the short program. Furthermore, Team USA women’s hockey, which cruised in the preliminary round, faces Italy in a quarterfinal matchup.
Here’s a roundup of all highlights and analysis from a loaded Day 6:
Team USA uses dominant second period to cruise to 5-1 win over Latvia
Team USA’s lead was 4-1 by the time the second period horn sounded with Tage Thompson scoring on a nifty top-shelf backhand and Nelson adding another.
Auston Matthews tacked on another in the third period and the Americans cruised to a comfortable 5-1 win to open Group C play in style.
Next up for Team USA is a meeting with Denmark on Saturday.
🥈 Chloe Kim wins silver in women’s snowboard halfpipe, comes up short in bid for first snowboard three-peat in Olympic history
Kim, who suffered a dislocated shoulder and torn labrum during a training run last month, had one final opportunity but was unable to land a double cork 1080. Kim won bronze with the 88.00 she posted on her first run; she also fell on her second run.
Japan’s Mitsuki Ono (85.00 on first run) won bronze.
Team USA Hockey takes control with second period onslaught vs. Latvia
Later in the second, the U.S. tacked on two more goals in the span of 2:13. First, Tage Thompson buried a backhand top shelf on the power play to make it 3-1. Soon after, Nelson added another to increase the lead to 4-1 going into the third period.
🥈 The FIRST athlete to earn FIVE consecutive medals in the short track speed skating women’s 500m! ⭐
Arianna FONTANA [ITA] crosses the line to claim a #Silver medal at #MilanoCortina2026, in front of a roaring home town crowd! ⛸️@ISU_Speed | @ItaliaTeam_it | #Samsung |… pic.twitter.com/RglFUrrcIR
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) February 12, 2026