![Kim Da-eun competes in the women’s halfpipe. [Photo=Yonhap]](https://image.ajunews.com/content/image/2026/02/20/20260220055357391350.jpg)
South Korea’s Kim Da-eun of Kyung Hee University and Lee So-young of Sangdong High School failed to reach the Olympic women’s halfpipe final in freestyle skiing.
In qualifying at Livigno Snow Park in Italy, Kim scored 41.50 points to place 20th among 21 athletes. The event uses the better of two runs, with the top 12 advancing to the final.
Kim posted 23.25 on her first run after a landing mistake midway through, then improved to 41.50 on her second but remained outside the cutoff. Kim finished 17th at the 2022 Beijing Olympics and again ended her schedule in qualifying.
Lee, competing in her first Olympics, scored 26.75 on her first run and 29.25 on her second to finish 21st.
China’s Gu Ailing, the 2022 Beijing gold medalist in the event, fell after getting caught on the pipe wall on her first run but rebounded with an 86.50 on her second to advance in fifth. Britain’s Zoe Atkin led qualifying with 91.50. The final is scheduled for 3:30 a.m. Korean time on the 22nd.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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