Giving up on the dream stage ‘X Games’ ‘Snowboarding freestyle’ Lee Chae-un
became the youngest winner at last year’s World Championships and also stood out at the World Cup… World No. 1 “Now I can just stand on the podium… Anyone can come in” Full of confidence

Chaewoon Lee, a national snowboarder who visits places with snow all year round, rarely leaves the snow field even when he stays in Korea for a short time. Lee Chae-woon, who stood in front of the camera at Phoenix Pyeongchang, where he first started his athlete career, said, “I am confident that I will win medals in all three events, including halfpipe, slopestyle, and big air, at the 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics.”

There is an invitation that only 8 people in the world can receive. This is an invitation to the ‘X Games’ that every freestyle snowboarder dreams of. Chaewoon Lee (18, Surigo High School, photo) also waited and waited for an invitation to this extreme sports competition hosted by ESPN, an American sports channel, since he started his snowboarding career at the age of 10. He finally received the invitation he dreamed of this season, but Lee Chae-woon responded, saying, ‘I cannot participate.’ This is because the competition schedule overlapped with the 2024 Gangwon Youth Winter Olympics (opening on the 19th).

Chaewoon Lee, whom we met ahead of the New Year at Phoenix Pyeongchang, said, “Of course I was disappointed. “It is true that I thought, ‘I finally got an invitation, but I can’t go.’” He continued, “But this Youth Olympic Games is my first world competition held in Korea. “As people still don’t know much about the halfpipe, I want to show the fans at home the best skills I can,” he said. 카지노사이트랭크

Snowboarding is largely divided into the alpine division, which competes against ‘time’, and the freestyle division, where the winner is determined by ‘performance’. Halfpipe, a freestyle sport, involves aerial performances such as jumping and spinning on a semi-cylindrical slope. Chaewoon Lee broke the record for being the youngest person (16 years, 11 months) to win the snowboard halfpipe event at the World Championships in March last year. Lee Chae-woon was the first Korean male and female skier and snowboarder to win the world championships. Chae-Woon Lee is also at the top of the rankings in the 2023-2024 season by winning a bronze medal in the first World Cup and a silver medal in the second World Cup.

Lee Chae-woon, who won the World Championship gold medal with the ‘Back to Back 1440’ (4 consecutive jumps in both directions), also succeeded in the ‘Triple Cock 1440’ (4 rotations while changing the axis of rotation three times), which is currently considered the best halfpipe technique in the World Cup season. . To date, the only athletes who have succeeded with this technique in practice are 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics gold medalists Ayumu Hirano (25, Japan) and Lee Chae-un. Chaewoon Lee said, “My mindset changed after winning the gold medal at the World Championships. He doesn’t even feel like he’s going to fall. I gained confidence, thinking, ‘Now I can just stand on the podium.’ “He said, ‘Anyone can come in.’”

It is not just a sense of self-confidence (unfounded confidence). Lee Chae-woon has been sponsored by energy drink company ‘Red Bull’ since this season. When an extreme sports athlete receives Red Bull sponsorship, it means that he or she has been recognized as ‘world class.’ Hirano, whom I looked up to as a child, has now become a close colleague and we even have dinner dates together.

Lee Chae-woon aims to dominate all snowboarding freestyle events, including halfpipe, slopestyle, and big air, at this Youth Olympic Games. Slopestyle is an event in which athletes perform while sliding down a slope equipped with various objects and jumps, while Big Air is an event in which athletes perform aerial performances by jumping from a large jump. Chaewoon Lee said, “I have no intention of losing first place in the Youth Olympics. She is full of confidence because she feels like she can win a gold medal if she just does what she does. “I need to give her younger siblings some ‘true education’,” she said with a laugh.

If there is an obstacle, it is the ‘tight schedule’. Lee Chae-woon, who left for Switzerland on the 3rd, will participate in the 3rd World Cup from the 17th to the 20th. Once she completes the competition, she will arrive at Incheon Airport on the 22nd and then immediately participate in the Youth Olympics slopestyle training program that afternoon. Lee Chae-woon said, “I cannot participate in the 4th World Cup because the schedule overlaps with the Youth Olympic Games. “If he wants to maintain his No. 1 spot this season, he must win his third World Cup to widen the gap between him and the second-place finisher as much as possible,” he said. Lee Chae-woon, who, as his name suggests, is filling out his resume line by line to become the world’s best snowboarder, pledged, “I will definitely receive not only the Olympic gold medal, but also the Crystal Glove (given to the top ranked snowboarder in the season).” 고스톱