Twenty-one-year-old American snowboarder Chloe Kim notched her second straight Olympic gold medal in the halfpipe at the 2022 Beijing Games on Thursday.
Kim scored 94 points to take the lead in the field of 12 on the first of her three runs—a lead to which no one caught up. That first run included a pair of 1080s, a switch 900, and a switch backside 540.
“Oh, my God. I had the worst practice of my life,” cameras caught her saying after her run.
On her second and third runs, Kim tried to go big with a 1260 but fell each time.
Spain’s Queralt Castellet came in second to win silver, and Japan’s Sena Tomita took the bronze.
“I was dealing with all sorts of emotions, self-doubt,” she said after the event. “But when I was getting ready to drop into my first run, I just reminded myself that it’s a brand-new run.”
“I am in a much better headspace, and I think I have a better idea of what to expect.”
At PyeongChang in 2018, Kim won gold medal in the halfpipe at her first Olympics. It was at those games that she made history by becoming the first woman to land back-to-back 1080s in the halfpipe. She was also the youngest female Olympic gold medalist (17) in snowboarding history.
Following the 2018 games, Kim said she took a break and attended Princeton University, which “gave me a good reset.”
“I feel like I’m in such a better place now mentally and physically, as well.
“Just being so grateful to be out here and represent the U.S. I’m just so honored to be here and just enjoying the moment.”
