Steamboat springs: Teenage snowboarder Yu Seung-eun has achieved a significant milestone by winning her first career World Cup medal in the women's big air event, as she prepares for her first Winter Olympics.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Yu clinched the silver medal with a score of 173.25 points at the International Ski Federation Snowboard World Cup held in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Miyabi Onitsuka from Japan narrowly surpassed her for the gold with a score of 174.00 points. Ally Hickman from Australia secured the third position with 162.25 points.

Yu, aged 17, demonstrated impressive performance with the second-highest score in the qualification round, achieving 89.75 points. She continued her strong form to secure a podium finish, becoming the first South Korean snowboarder to win a World Cup medal in the big air category.

The big air event, which debuted at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games in South Korea, involves snowboarders dropping into a ramp to execute flips and spins off one large jump. Competitors are evaluated based on the difficulty, execution, height, distance, and landing of their jumps.

Yu is the second South Korean snowboarder to earn a World Cup medal in recent days, joining 17-year-old Choi Gaon, who claimed the women's halfpipe title in China on Friday. The promising performances of these young athletes enhance South Korea's prospects for medals at the upcoming Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in February.

Historically, South Korea has secured only one Olympic medal in snowboarding, a silver won by Lee Sang-ho in the men's parallel giant slalom at the 2018 PyeongChang Games.