“This Medal Does Not Belong to Me”: Gangwon 2024 Winner on Dedicating His Gold to Teary-Eyed Father

The 2024 Gangwon Youth Olympics was held amidst great fanfare in the Welli Hilli Park Ski Resort in the January snow. The schedule included men’s, women’s, and mixed snowboard cross, slopestyle, halfpipe, and big air segments. Amidst it all, a 17-year-old zipped past his first run with a whopping 90+ score, giving his other contenders a serious run for their money.

This South Korean snowboarder, he seemed to acquire a venerable medal at the men’s snowboard slopestyle this season. Not just that, he made sure to embody the role of a minstrel and shower praises to his dad. With his recent escapades in Welli Hilli, the wunderkind has garnered yet another reason for us to have our chests swell with pride.

Lee Chaeun makes a sinew on the snowy slopes and, right to his dad’s heart too

This star boy Lee Chaeun seemed in his best form, scoring 91.25 points in his first run of Gangwon 2024. His competitors were shaken at the startling performance he delivered. But he had even more in his kitty to showcase. With 96 points in his third run, it was difficult to even touch his scores. Just after his last run, Lee Chaeun ran to hug his father, who has been his rock throughout. His father has been with him since day one of his journey and is always seen supporting Lee and all his hard work did pay off.

Acknowledging his blessings and doffing his hat to his dad, Lee feels that his family is his biggest cheerleader. “When I got 96 points, I ran to my father and I hugged him. It felt amazing,” he said. “My parents are always there to watch me compete. I love my parents and my family. This medal doesn’t belong to me but it belongs to him.” In the X social media video above, Lee is seen giving a sliver of his win to his father because he pushed him to his limits to get here. It goes to show how important having a resolute patriarch is.

There is nothing better than a father cheering up for his son and the son, making him proud by achieving well. The same was the case with Lee Chaeun’s father. He could not stop his tears from rolling when he heard his son’s name announced. Of course, his ensuing trajectory now would be a case of marvel.

What’s next in the offing for Chaeun?

When asked about the same, Lee humbly admitted, “Scores don’t matter to me. I care about my tricks and focus on it. I landed a run at the Youth Olympic Games. So I felt happiness.” When asked about his future endeavors, he majestically sights himself on producing a hat-trick of titles. He is also optimistic about his halfpipe event in the coming future.

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On the other hand, Lee’s competitors, Eli Bouchard (CAN) and Romain Allemand (FRA) pulled off the silver and bronze medals, respectively. While Eli scored 90 points, Romain backed up for 89.25 points. They enjoyed their own game and are proud to get the 2nd and 3rd positions. The snowboard game pressure builds up just as Chaeun will make sure South Korean snowboarding is in safe hands.

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