🏂 A Jackpot of Rewards! Warm Spring Days for Our Snow Heroes 🌸 - 2026.03.19 | 2026 Winter Sports Festival

Hello, fans! It's your Milano Adventurer! 👋

It's been almost a month since the Olympics ended, but the warm and happy news from our heroes just keeps coming. Today, I've prepared a packed edition featuring jaw-dropping reward ceremonies, the athletes' witty remarks, and great updates on what they've been up to! Let's dive right in! 😎

💰 Massive Cash Rewards! The Daddy Long Legs' Tears 🥺

Do you all remember our national snowboard team securing one gold, one silver, and one bronze medal in Milano, achieving their best results ever? On the 19th, Lotte, the presidential company of the Korea Ski Association, held a massive encouragement event for the athletes! ^[1]

The total reward amount reached a staggering 1.1 billion KRW! Choi Ga-on, the protagonist of Korea's first-ever Olympic gold in snow sports, received 300 million KRW from the association plus a special 100 million KRW personal bonus from Lotte Chairman Shin Dong-bin, totaling 400 million KRW ^[1]. Silver medalist Kim Sang-kyum received a total of 270 million KRW, and bronze medalist Yoo Seung-eun took home 135 million KRW ^[1]. Generous rewards were also given to 6th-place finisher Lee Chae-un and the coaching staff!

What's interesting is the atmosphere of the event. It's reported that Chairman Shin teared up while watching a special video showing the athletes' injuries and grueling training processes ^[3]. Upon receiving his surprise bonus, Kim Sang-kyum responded by making a big heart over his head, while Choi Ga-on and Yoo Seung-eun expressed deep gratitude for Lotte's belief and support even during their obscure and difficult times dealing with injuries ^[1]. Isn't that so heartwarming? 🥰

🎤 Gold-Medal-Worthy Wit! The Snowboard Team's Cheerful Pledges

Our athletes also showed off their great sense of humor at the event! Kim Sang-kyum, who usually prefers casual wear but dressed up in a nice suit for the day, playfully complained, "I went to the department store with my wife without wearing a mask, but I was a bit sad that people didn't recognize me," asking fans for more attention ^[2].

When asked how they would spend their prize money, Yoo Seung-eun said, "I'll give it all to my parents," and Choi Ga-on replied, "I'll save it." However, Kim Sang-kyum made everyone laugh with a very realistic answer as a family man: "I can't give it all to my parents, but I'll discuss it with my wife and spend it well" ^[2]. Kim Sang-kyum also revealed his goal to medal at next year's World Championships, Yoo Seung-eun aims for gold in 4 years, and Choi Ga-on promised to humbly focus on her training! 🏂✨

⚾ A Trip to the Baseball Stadium & 🤝 A Welcome Meeting

We also have news about our athletes stepping out! Snowboard Big Air bronze medalist Yoo Seung-eun will take the mound to throw the ceremonial first pitch for Lotte's 2026 season home opening series ^[5]. I can't wait to see what kind of cool form she'll show on the baseball field instead of the snow!

Also on the 19th, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon held a warm luncheon meeting with athletes affiliated with the Seoul Metropolitan Government who participated in the Winter Olympics ^[4]. Figure skater Cha Jun-hwan, short tracker Shim Suk-hee, and para-Nordic skier Kim Yoon-ji attended, and they received a promise that the city of Seoul will continue to cheer for and support them so they can achieve even better results ^[4].

The heartwarming stories of our Team Korea are far from over! Wishing our athletes a path filled only with flowers, I'll be back with more fun news in the next newsletter! Bye! ❄️