"Even the heavens were cruel" – First-ever Olympic final slips away as Lee Seung-hoon's ACL tears [2026 Milan]

One might wonder if the saying "even the heavens are cruel" was meant for moments like this. Lee Seung-hoon of Korea National Sport University, who had written a new chapter in Korean freestyle skiing, never got to stand on the stage of his first Olympic final. On the cold snow, as he was taken away on a stretcher, the dream he had wanted more than anyone else crumbled behind his back.
On the 21st (Korea time) at Livigno Snow Park in Italy, Lee Seung-hoon's name was missing from the start list for the men's freestyle skiing halfpipe final at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. A first-ever gold medalist at the 2025 Asian Winter Games, he had achieved the historic feat of becoming the first Korean skier ever to reach an Olympic final. But misfortune struck just before the finish line and held him back.
His path to the final had already been a drama in itself. After the competition, Lee revealed on his social media that he had been battling a high fever and severe body aches since that morning, and that he began final practice while carrying a right shoulder injury sustained during qualifying. His body was battered, yet he still posted an impressive 76.00 points to finish 10th and secure a coveted ticket to the final, reserved only for the top 12. That made the outcome all the more heartbreaking.

The miracle stopped at the threshold of the final. In the last practice before the event, with his injured shoulder taped up, he suffered an unexpected accident when he botched a landing and slammed his right knee hard against the wall of the pipe. He was carried off after hurting his knee during practice, but he said he climbed back up to the start gate, determined to at least attempt his third run. However, the injury turned out to be more serious than he thought, and he ultimately had no choice but to head to the hospital, as he later recounted of that devastating moment.
The medical diagnosis was a torn anterior cruciate ligament, damage to the lateral meniscus, and a bone contusion on the outside of the knee. For a skier, these are potentially career-threatening injuries. Lee confessed that even when he realized something was seriously wrong after the fall, he still did not want to give up the Olympic final he had dreamed of for so long. He wanted to show everything he had in the final, and he had prepared for the Games with all his might so that he would have no regrets. Beneath his calm recollection lay deep disappointment and an intense longing for the snowy halfpipe.

For a young athlete, having to let go of a first-ever Olympic final with his own hands was unbearably cruel. Lee said it was extremely hard to accept that such a heartbreaking incident had forced him to give up his debut final. Even so, he vowed bravely that he would process it as quickly as he could, work hard on rehabilitation, and prepare for what comes next. He also did not forget to thank those around him, saying that it was thanks to the people who helped him get this far that he was able to compete in his second Olympics and add another "first" to his name.
Finally, he said he was happy to have been able to help bring the curtain down on the halfpipe event, and he showed his generous character by congratulating his junior Choi Ga-on on winning gold and helping to raise the profile of the halfpipe. He may have fallen short in his hunt for a medal, but the fighting spirit Lee Seung-hoon displayed as he pushed through pain and limits to carve lines across the silver slopes shone brighter than gold.
jsi@fnnews.com Jeon Sang-il Reporter