Livigno: Alpine snowboarder Kim Sang-kyum captured a silver medal in the men's parallel giant slalom, securing South Korea's first medal at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Sunday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim's journey to the podium was marked by unexpected victories. After advancing past his initial two knockout races due to opponents not finishing, Kim managed a semifinal victory over Tervel Zamfirov of Bulgaria by a mere 0.23 seconds. However, he fell short in the final against Austria's Benjamin Karl by 0.19 seconds at Livigno Snow Park, situated approximately 230 kilometers north of Milan.

At 37, Kim becomes only the second South Korean to earn an Olympic snowboarding medal, following in the footsteps of 2018 silver medalist Lee Sang-ho. Despite a strong qualification performance, Lee was eliminated in the round of 16, losing by 0.17 seconds to Austria's Andreas Prommegger.

Kim's silver medal marks a milestone as South Korea's 400th medal in Olympic history, encompassing both winter and summer games, and their 80th Winter Games medal. The event commenced with a qualification stage, where athletes advanced based on combined times from two runs, leading into the knockout rounds.

During the knockout races, competitors faced off side-by-side, with the fastest advancing. Kim, the eighth-best qualifier, benefited from his rivals' misfortunes, including a fall by Slovenia's Zan Kosir in the round of 16 and a balance loss by Italy's Roland Fischnaller in the quarterfinals.

Kim's final performance, while not securing gold, was remarkable given his Olympic history. Until now, his best finish was 15th, with only a single prior knockout phase appearance. Despite lacking a World Cup victory, his Olympic silver is a testament to perseverance, as he arrived in Italy ranked 20th in the FIS World Cup standings.

This achievement places Kim among South Korea's most surprising Olympic medalists, underscoring an inspiring journey of resilience and determination.