The 35-year-old was the only South Korean competing in the first round at Alpensia Ski Jumping Centre in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, after he made it out of the qualification round on Friday. His teammate Kim Hyun-ki missed the cut during Friday's qualification round.

Defending champion Kamil Stoch of Poland later claimed the gold medal with a score of 285.7, followed by Andreas Wellinger of Germany, the normal hill winner last week, at 282.3. Robert Johansson of Norway took bronze at 275.3.

Choi was competing in his sixth Winter Olympics, tied for the most appearances by a South Korean with his teammate Kim and former speed skater Lee Kyou-hyuk.

In the men's normal hill event last week, Choi finished 41st and also failed to reach the final round.

"Since I was competing at home, I had pressure to perform better," Choi said of his day. "But my body wasn't good. I even took aspirin, but still I felt some muscle stiffness in my shoulder and calf."

Choi said he'll continue his jumping at Beijing 2022 and will look for podium finishes in other international events.

"I want to keep trying, and hopefully, I can go to the next Olympics," he said. "I do hope young ski jumpers rise and beat me, but at the same time, I want to be the one who can compete at theOlympics. My journey will continue." (Yonhap)