S. Korean teen snowboarder Lee Chae-un wins world title in halfpipe

▲ In this Reuters photo, South Korean snowboarder Lee Chae-un competes in the men's halfpipe final at the International Ski Federation Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships in Bakuriani, Georgia, on March 3, 2023. (Yonhap)

▲ In this EPA photo, South Korean snowboarder Lee Chae-un (C) celebrates after winning the gold medal in the men's halfpipe final at the International Ski Federation Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships in Bakuriani, Georgia, on March 3, 2023. (Yonhap)

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S. Korean teen snowboarder Lee Chae-un wins world title in halfpipe

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, March 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korean teen snowboarding phenom Lee Chae-un captured a historic world title Friday in Georgia.

Lee scored 93.50 points for the men's halfpipe title at the International Ski Federation Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships in Bakuriani, Georgia.

The 16-year-old is the first South Korean to win a gold medal in any skiing or snowboarding discipline and also the youngest male snowboard gold medalist in world championship history.

Previously, South Korea had produced a pair of fourth-place finishes in the men's giant parallel snowboarding and women's freestyle mogul skiing.

Lee won the world juniors gold medal last year and then stunned the snowboard world in his senior world championships debut.

Lee ranked seventh among 10 final-bound snowboarders in the qualification round. He scored 77.25 points in his first attempt in the final, before scoring 86 points in the next attempt and then capping it off with the title-winning performance in his third run.

Valentino Guseli of Australia took the silver with 93 points, followed by Jan Scherrer of Switzerland at 89.25 points.

Lee's emergence bodes well for South Korea's medal hopes at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The country has yet to produce an Olympic medalist in the discipline.

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