The professional snowboarder becomes the first woman to win back-to-back gold in snowboarding halfpipe and takes home the second gold medal of this year’s event for Team USA.
AceShowbiz –Chloe Kim has won another gold. The snowboard star has successfully defended her gold medal in women’s halfpipe at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, taking home the second gold medal of this year’s event for Team USA.
In her first run at Beijing’s Zhangjiakou venue on Wednesday, February 9, the 21-year-old athlete threw down a stunning performance with a switchback 900-degree flip and two 1080s for an untouchable score of 94 that brought her to happy tears. Spain’s Queralt Castellet, who earned the silver, scored 90.25 points and Japan’s Sena Tomita earned the bronze with 88.25 points.
In her second run, Chloe fell when she attempted to do a 1260 move. Dropping in last with the gold medal already secured, Chloe launched herself off the halfpipe wall in an attempt to land a 1260 with three and a half spins. However, the athlete, who appeared in “Charlie’s Angels” as newly recruited Angels, fell once again.
Between her second and third runs, Chloe took to her Instagram Story to let her followers know how it felt to fall from such heights. Over a photo of her closing her eyes and grinding her teeth, she wrote, “Ow my butt,” adding a pensive face emoji.
Chloe Kim shared an update to her followers after she failed her trick and fell.
Ahead of the Games, Chloe told PEOPLE that her goal in Beijing is to enjoy the Olympic experience. “I just want to go out there and do the best I can, but also acknowledge I’m at the freaking Olympics. That’s kind of a big deal,” she said.
“I think my first one, I was really, really excited, but there was so much going on and so much uncertainty in a way that I didn’t know what to expect,” Chloe added. She went on saying, “I didn’t know what was happening, but now that I actually know how it’s going to go down, I feel like I’ll be able to experience it more.”
Back in 2018, Chloe, who was 17 years old at the time, shocked the world with a near-perfect score and became the first woman in history to land back-to-back 1080s. Now with her victory in China, Chloe is the first woman to win back-to-back gold medals in the women’s halfpipe event.
As for being called the GOAT, which stands for greatest of all time, in snowboarding, Chloe said, “I’m never going to think of myself as the best. I feel like there’s so much I can do and I don’t think I deserve to be called the best.” She elaborated further, “I think I want to continue progressing as an athlete, as a person. Then I’ll be comfortable with that, I guess.”
Following the 2018 Games, Chloe took a brief hiatus from snowboarding to attend Princeton University. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the snowboarder took courses online until May 2020.
After spending 22 months away from her sport, Chloe returned to competition in January 2021 and came out the gate with a win at the Laax Open, claiming her sixth halfpipe title at the X Games.
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