Chloe Kim Shares Update Before Milan-Cortina Olympics

Chloe Kim, the American snowboarder and two-time Olympic gold medalist, has given a hopeful update about her condition as the Milan-Cortina Olympics approach. Despite dealing with a torn labrum in her shoulder, which she sustained while practicing in Switzerland, Kim mentioned she is “okay” as the Games draw near.

With the Olympics set to start in less than a month, Kim finds herself under pressure to recover quickly. She’s aiming for her third consecutive gold medal in the halfpipe event, having previously won gold in both the 2018 Pyeongchang and 2022 Beijing Games.

In a social media post, she expressed that she wasn’t surprised when she found out about the shoulder injury. However, she didn’t specify which shoulder was affected during her fall while preparing for the upcoming Larks Open.

Feeling a mix of emotions, Kim shared, “There are two ways to do it, and my way is less taxing than the other one, so I’m very happy with it.” However, she also acknowledged her disappointment about not being able to snowboard until just before the Olympics. “It’s going to be tough,” she commented, noting that she won’t be getting as much practice as she had hoped.

The women’s halfpipe event kicks off on February 11. As of now, Kim has already secured her spot on the U.S. national team, and if she recovers well, she’s expected to be a frontrunner in Italy. Notably, she will not participate in this weekend’s Larks tournament and has not mentioned the Winter X Games in Aspen, which occurs later this month—the last major competition prior to the Olympics.

This season, Kim has only competed once, at Copper Mountain, where she again experienced shoulder issues while warming up. Recently, she posted a video from Switzerland showcasing a fall she had, capturing the moment as she stumbled landing from a jump. While she dislocated her shoulder then, she reported that it didn’t hurt too much. An MRI confirmed the labrum tear later on.

In her video, she humorously referred to having to wear an “uncomfortable” shoulder brace, calling it “super sexy.” Despite the setbacks, she remains optimistic, saying, “I’ve been through a lot of waves of emotions, but honestly, I’m really excited about this week.”

As a light-hearted note, the video ended with a glimpse of her picking up her boyfriend, NFL player Myles Garrett, from the train station, who recently set a record for the NFL’s single-season sacks.