LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — Now, it’s Chloe Kim’s turn to grasp a special spot in snowboarding’s record book.
Kim will be in the halfpipe Thursday night, trying to become the first snowboarder to win three straight Olympic gold medals.
The 25-year-old from California hurt her shoulder four weeks ago, disrupting her lead-in to the Milan Cortina Games. Wearing a brace in qualifying on Wednesday, she put down a solid run to lead the standings and said her injury felt fine.
“I’ve been doing this for 22 years,” Kim said. “Muscle memory is a thing.”
Kim traditionally has the highest-flying most difficult runs in her sport. She is the first woman to land two separate kinds of 1080-degree double corks — two head-over-heels flips — and some version of those could be on tap for the night-time contest at the Livigno Snow Park.
Snoop Dogg is expected to show up to watch one of the biggest names in the Olympics go for history. So will Kim’s boyfriend, Myles Garrett, the defensive end for the Cleveland Browns.
Shaun White will be on hand, as well. He is the only other snowboarder with three gold medals in a sport that arrived at the Olympics in 1998.
Two riders — Ester Ledecka in parallel giant slalom and Anna Gasser in big air — had a chance for three straight earlier in these Olympics, but neither ended up on the podium.
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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics