SOUTH Korean snowboarding star Choi Gaon overcome a horror crash on the women’s halfpipe to take gold and see off favourite Chloe Kim.

The 17-year-old was the underdog against Team USA star Kim, who is a two-time Olympic gold medalist.

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There was huge concern for Choi after she crashed and laid motionless for a short timeCredit: Getty
Kim is known as the greatest female halfpipe snowboarder of all time after becoming the first two win back-to-back golds in 2018 and 2022.

But she was stunned by Choi who incredibly recovered from a bad fall on her opening run to score 90.25 on the last attempt.

Fans were stunned when Choi embarked on a huge jump where she attempted a number of spins.

But her board landed awkwardly on the edge of the halfpipe, causing her to lose her balance.

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She flipped forward and fell head-first down the bottom of the slope.

There was huge concern for Choi as she briefly laid motionless at the bottom.

But she dusted herself and eventually recovered to produce her incredible performance on the third try.

The teenager admitted she was left in tears after the fall and initially thought her Winter Olympics dream might be over for this year.

But she said her achievement was like something out of a dream.

She said, “It’s the kind of story you only see in dreams, so I’m incredibly happy.

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Choi admitted she was in tears when she crashed before her incredible recoveryCredit: Getty
“During the final, mentally it was so tough. But right now I am the happiest.

“My knees are a bit bad, but I feel like I’m overcoming it all with happiness.

“After the first run, I actually cried really hard, thinking maybe I should just quit the Olympics here.

“I cried because I thought I wouldn’t be able to compete. But the thought kept coming back to me: ‘You can do this. You have to go on’. That’s what pushed me forward.”

Her rival Kim gave her full credit and said it was a “full-circle” moment after the pair at a test event in Pyeongchang before the 2018 Games.

Kim said, “She’s someone I’ve known since she was little.

“It’s such a full circle moment seeing her from when she was so young to now standing next to her on the Olympic podium.”