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American snowboard star Chloe Kim arrived at the 2026 Winter Olympics with a serious shoulder injury, but that didn’t deter her at all.
Kim finished top of the leaderboard in the qualifying round for the women’s snowboard halfpipe event and is clearly in contention for a third consecutive gold medal. If she achieves this feat, Kim would become the first Olympic snowboarder to win three consecutive gold medals in the halfpipe.
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Chloe Kim of the United States trains before the women’s snowboard halfpipe qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Wednesday, February 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
The California native earned a score of 90.25 in her first run and that was enough to stay in first place even though her score didn’t improve on her second run. Her American teammate Maddie Mastro finished in third place with a score of 86.00.
“I feel good. Happy to be here,” she told Olympics.com. “There’s definitely a lot of pressure, but I think the Olympics are so special because we have so much support globally.”
Kim is competing at the Milan Cortina Games with a shoulder brace as she suffers from the injury that prevented her from properly preparing for the Olympics.
Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns, left, and Chloe Kim of the United States smile after the women’s snowboard halfpipe qualifying at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
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She only returned to the halfpipe two weeks ago, marking her first truly significant race since last March.
“It did really well,” she said of her left shoulder. “So I’m grateful for that.”
Kim said the injury changed his view of the history of this year’s Olympics.
“If you had asked me before the shoulder injury, I might have a different answer to give you,” she said. “But just because I’m coming back from an injury, I obviously didn’t do the number of reps that I normally would have done before going to the Olympics. I’m just really proud of myself and proud that I was able to go as far as I did.”
Chloe Kim of the United States reacts to her score during the women’s snowboard halfpipe qualifying at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Wednesday, February 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
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The final is scheduled for Thursday. Kim, Mastro and Bea Kim are all medal contenders.
