Kim Sang-kyum wins first World Cup medal in Alpine snowboarding

Korea's ‘eldest brother’ of Alpine snowboarding, Kim Sang-kyum, representing High1, has won his first medal 15 years after making his FIS World Cup debut. On Sunday, the 35-year-old snowboarder earned a silver medal in the parallel giant slalom at the opening FIS Alpine World Cup event of the 2024-2025 season, held in Meilin, China. This marked Kim's 103rd World Cup appearance, following his debut in 2009 in Landgraaf, the Netherlands.

“I finished second in the first World Cup of the 2024-2025 season,” said Kim. “I'm so happy to be on the podium for the first time, and I’d like to thank everyone who has always supported and congratulated me.” Kim won gold in the parallel giant slalom at the 2011 Winter Universiade in Erzurum (Turkey), becoming the first Korean snowboarder to win an international event. However, he did not win a World Cup medal until last season.

In snowboard alpine, the top 16 combined times from the first and second qualifying races advance to the finals. The finals are structured as a two-man, head-to-head tournament where the first athlete to cross the finish line wins. After finishing sixth in the 56-rider qualifying field, Kim faced Pyeongchang Olympic silver medalist Lee Sang-ho (29, NEXEN) in the quarterfinals. Lee failed to finish the race, allowing Kim to advance to the final for the first time since his World Cup debut. However, Kim also failed to finish the final race and settled for silver, with gold going to Edwin Coratti of Italy.


Bo-Mi Im bom@donga.com