American snowboard star Chloe Kim says shoulder injury won’t stop three-peat Olympic gold bid

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Americansnowboarder Chloe Kimshared an optimistic update on her status for the Milan Cortina Olympics.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist said she’s “good to go” for the competition despite dealing with the effects of a torn labrum in her shoulder.Kimsustained the injuryduring a recent training run in Switzerland.

The 2026 Games are scheduled to begin in less than a month, giving Kim a short window to recover and pursue her third consecutive gold medal in the halfpipe.Kim won gold in 2018 in Pyeongchang and again in 2022 in Beijing.

Chloe Kim trains before a sporting event

The United States’ Chloe Kim trains before the women’s halfpipe finals at the 2022 Winter Olympics Feb.10, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China.(AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)

In an updateposted to InstagramTuesday, Kim said she wasn’t surprised to learn she had torn her labrum, the lining of the socket that holds the shoulder together.She did not specify which shoulder was injured when she fell while preparing for the upcoming Laax Open.

“There are two ways to do it, and the way I did it is less severe than the other, so I’m really happy about that,” she said.“Obviously, I’m really disappointed that I can’t snowboard until right before the Olympics, which is going to be hard.I haven’t gotten nearly the amount of reps that I would have liked, but that’s OK.”

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The women’s Olympic halfpipe contest begins Feb.11.

The 25-year-old Kim, who has already qualified forthe U.S.team, would be the heavy favorite to win in Italy if she’s healthy.She said she won’t compete this weekend in Laax.She didn’t mention the Winter X Games in Aspen later this month, which are the last big contest before the Olympics.

Gold medalist Chloe Kim of the U.S.in action during the snowboard halfpipe competition at the FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships in St.Moritz, Switzerland, March 29, 2025. (Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP, File)

Kim has participated in only one competition this season — last month in Copper Mountain — and while warming up for the final there, she sustained a shoulder injury.

Last week, she posted video of her fall in Switzerland, which showed her skittering across the halfpipe after losing her bearings on the landing of a jump.At that time, she said she dislocated the shoulder and wasn’t in much pain.An MRI from last Friday revealed the labrum tear.

In her video, Kim said she’ll have to wear a “super-sexy shoulder brace” that is uncomfortable.

“I went through a bunch of different waves of emotions, but, honestly, I’m really excited for this week,” she said.

Snowboarder Chloe Kim of the United States poses for a photo during a Team USA photo shoot at Sunset Glenoaks Studios May 21, 2025, in Sun Valley, Calif. (Harry How/Getty Images)

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The end of the video flashed to her picking up her boyfriend, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, at a train station.Earlier this month, Garrett broke the NFL’s all-timesingle-season sack recordwhen he tackled quarterback Joe Burrow in Week 18.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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