Choi Gaon, who won gold in the women's snowboard halfpipe at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, has secured the overall park and pipe title for the 2025-26 FIS Snowboard World Cup season.
The final World Cup slopestyle event of the season, scheduled for March 28 in Silvaplana, Switzerland, was canceled due to strong winds, confirming the final standings earlier than expected. Choi finished atop the women's park and pipe rankings with 300 points.
The FIS Snowboard World Cup awards season titles across multiple disciplines, including snowboard cross, parallel slalom, parallel giant slalom, halfpipe, slopestyle and big air. In addition, combined titles are awarded in the park and pipe category -- encompassing halfpipe, slopestyle and big air -- and in the parallel events category. Winners receive the Crystal Globe.
Choi becomes the second South Korean to win an overall FIS World Cup season title, following Lee Sang-ho in the men's parallel events category, and the first South Korean woman to do so.
Japan's Yuto Totsuka won the men's park and pipe title with 496 points.
In a social media post on Sunday, Choi said, “It's an honor to win the Crystal Globe along with an Olympic gold medal this season. I will continue to work hard.”
Choi claimed Olympic gold in February despite missing her first two runs in the women's halfpipe final due to injury, delivering a dramatic, successful third run to secure the title.
(Translated and edited with ChatGPT/The Korea Herald)
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