Chloe Kim officially goes for her historic “three-peat” today at the Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. She is looking to continue her dominance in the women’s snowboard halfpipe and is looking to make her name in history as the first athlete to win three consecutive gold medals in the event.
The 25-year-old appeared to decimate any doubts about her ability to come out on top despite a recent shoulder injury during her qualifying runs. She seems fully committed and may be holding back some tricks for her final runs.
Returning from a recent shoulder injury, Kim flew through a no-fuss, no-drama qualifying round and finished first to easily secure her spot in the finals. Two dozen riders were rejected from the Olympic halfpipe on Wednesday, while only twelve advanced to Thursday night’s final.
She is participating in these Olympic Games with a shoulder brace, the result of a difficult fall four weeks ago during training in Switzerland.
As a two-time Olympic champion, Kim acknowledged that her first runs weren’t exactly what she wanted. However, she hopes to pair the frontside and backside 900s during her second run. She slipped a bit during her first qualifying run and opted to pull up, saving her energy and best tricks for the medal round. Maddie Mastro, Japan’s Sara Shimizu and Sena Tomita remain her biggest challengers among the final twelve; they are all looking for the podium and can take the gold if Kim is not at her best.
