Benjamin Karl Wins Men's Snowboarding PGS Gold Medal at Olympics 2026

Austria's Benjamin Karl successfully defended his gold medal in the men's parallel giant slalom.

Karl bested South Korea's Kim Sangkyum in the big final of the 2026 Winter Olympics on Sunday.

Men's Parallel Giant Slalom Medal Winners

• Gold: Benjamin Karl (Austria)
• Silver: Kim Sangkyum (South Korea)
• Bronze: Tervel Zamfirov (Bulgaria)

He's the first snowboarder ever with four Olympic medals. In addition to his giant slalom wins, he was the 2010 silver medalist in the event and the bronze winner in the 2014 parallel slalom.

The significance of the achievement was evident in Karl's celebration. The frigid temperatures weren't enough to stop him from baring his chest with his arms aloft.

Karl had the third-fastest combined time (1:26.49) in qualifying. He beat Italy's Maurizio Bormolini, compatriot Andreas Prommegger and Slovenia's Tim Mastnak in successful head-to-head battles before the pivotal big final.

The 40-year-old crossed the finish line 0.19 seconds ahead of Kim to hand Austria its first gold medal of the 2026 Games.

South Korea is on the board as well. Kim's silver is the country's first overall in Milano Cortina.

Karl has confirmed he's walking away after the 2025-26 season wraps up. Regardless of what happens from here, he's going out on top.