The 17-year-old led from the first run after posting a score of 93.75 points, which none of her competitors were able to match at Phoenix Park.

By the time of her third run, Kim had already been confirmed as the winner and went onto increase her best score to 98.25 points.

China’s Liu Jiayu took the silver medal with 89.75 points and Kim’s fellow American Arielle Gold won bronze with 85.75.

Kim overtakes team-mate Kelly Clark, the Salt Lake City 2002 champion who finished fourth today, as the youngest female gold medallist in Olympic snowboarding.

At 17 years, 296 days, she is also now the youngest woman to win a gold medal on snow at the Winter Olympics, breaking the mark held by Swiss Alpine skier Michela Figini, 19 days older when she won the women’s downhill in 1984.

"It was really exciting," the teenager, whose parents were born in host country South Korea, said.

"I'm so stoked.

"I'm so happy I was able to land and being here is so exciting - this has been a dream of mine."

She added: "It's such an honour to do it for my parents.

"They've done so much for me and my career, I think, and I'm so happy with the outcome."

Liu registered her silver-medal winning score on the second run and had needed to better Kim’s first-run score with her last attempt to keep the competition alive.

But she could only manage 49.00 points, finishing runner-up to secure China’s first medal of Pyeongchang 2018 and first in snowboarding at the Winter Olympics.

"This sport in China is going to grow a lot," Liu said.

"For Chinese people having someone on the podium for the Olympics is an honour.

"It will be a huge push for Chinese snowboard."

Snowboard medal action at Pyeongchang 2018 is due to resume tomorrow.

The men’s halfpipe final is scheduled to be held.