Kim Sang-kyum wins her maiden Alpine snowboarding World Cup medal…
Fifteen years after making his FIS World Cup debut, Kim Sang-kyum, the “eldest brother” of Alpine snowboarding from Korea, has earned his first medal while competing for High1. At the first FIS Alpine World Cup competition of the 2024–2025 season, which took place in Meilin, China, on Sunday, the 35-year-old snowboarder won a silver medal in the parallel giant slalom. After making his World Cup debut in 2009 at Landgraaf, the Netherlands, this was Kim’s 103rd outing.
Kim claimed to have placed second in the 2024–2025 season’s opening World Cup. “I’m thrilled to be standing at the podium for the first time, and I want to express my gratitude to everyone who has always congratulated and supported me.” Kim became the first Korean snowboarder to win an international competition when he took home gold in the parallel giant slalom at the 2011 Winter Universiade in Erzurum, Turkey. But it wasn’t until last season that he took home a World Cup medal.
In snowboard alpine, the finals are reached by the best 16 combined times from the first and second qualifying events. The finals are set up as a head-to-head competition between two men, with the winner being the first athlete to cross the finish line. Kim challenged Pyeongchang Olympic silver medallist Lee Sang-ho (29, NEXEN) in the quarterfinals after placing sixth in the 56-rider qualifying field. Kim made it to the final for the first time since his World Cup debut when Lee was unable to complete the race. But Kim was also unable to complete the last race and had to settle for silver, while Edwin Coratti of Italy took home the gold.
