For most athletes, silver can feel like a missed opportunity. For Chloe Kim, it felt like survival — and triumph.
Entering the women’s snowboard halfpipe final at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, Kim was widely expected to secure a historic third consecutive gold medal. Instead, she finished second. But context changed everything.
Just a month before competition, Kim had dislocated her shoulder, putting her Olympic participation in serious doubt. With no real time to train on snow, even standing at the top of the pipe in Livigno felt improbable.
Then she reminded everyone who she was.
Kim posted a 90.25 in qualifying — the highest score of the round — instantly reigniting talk of another Olympic title. The run suggested her dominance hadn’t faded, despite the injury and time away.
In the final, her opening score of 88.0 set the benchmark early, but it was eventually surpassed by South Korea’s 17-year-old Choi Gaon. Gold slipped away. Silver remained.
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“This is so special to me. A month ago it wasn’t looking too good for me to even come out and I got no reps on snow, so the fact that I was able to come out here makes me so proud and I’m so happy to walk away with a medal,” Kim told Olympics.com afterwards.
“All I’m going to say is that I might be the baddest b**** I know. When I have to come back and face adversity it was such a mental challenge, and I’m so proud of myself for just getting through and just fighting.”
It was less a boast than a reckoning — a rare, unfiltered moment of self-recognition from an athlete who has spent most of her career under expectation.
Despite concerns about her shoulder, Kim said she barely thought about the injury once competition began. The focus shifted from fear to gratitude — gratitude for being able to ride at all.
“I just didn’t really think about the injury. I told myself that if it comes out again it comes out and I’ll just have someone pop it back in and I’ll keep on going, so I was mentally prepared for that,” she said.
“But I was just so excited to be out here competing, and those feelings took over.”
“I wish I could have landed the run I wanted to out here, but it’s life and I’m so proud of myself for dealing with all these variables and still coming out and giving it my best.”
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In a sport defined by progression and perfection, Kim’s silver medal told a different story — one about resilience, self-belief, and redefining what winning looks like.
