What shoulder injury? Chloe Kim qualifies in halfpipe at 2026 Olympics

LIVIGNO, Italy – With a banged-up shoulder and far less preparation that she’d have liked, was two-time gold medalist snowboarder Chloe Kim shaking off the rust when she dropped into the halfpipe at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics?

Please.

“I’ve been doing this for 22 years, OK,” she said with a laugh. “Muscle memory is a thing. I might be better at snowboarding then I am at walking.’

So, nah, ‘Didn’t feel rusty.’

Few could argue after watching Kim sail into the Olympic finals on Thursday, Feb. 12, by winning the morning halfpipe qualifying, on Wednesday, Feb. 11. Her showstopping, high-flying first run earned a 90.25 score, best among an Olympic field of 24 riders in the women’s halfpipe – who each got two runs.

It was a statement from Kim, an unmistakable indication that this is still her stage and her medal to lose. And that dislocating her shoulder last month won’t be an insurmountable obstacle in the 25-year-old American’s quest to become snowboarding’s first back-to-back-to-back Olympic gold medalist.

“My shoulder has been really good. She’s been very well-behaved, so I’m grateful for that,” Kim said afterward. “We haven’t had any hiccups. I’ve been working relentlessly on getting it as strong as possible, and obviously, the shoulder brace is really helpful.”

Team USA advanced three of its four women’s halfpipe entrants to the finals. Maddie Mastro (86.00) was third, looking every bit a legit medal contender, while Bea Kim (76.75) made it into the 12 finalists with a 10th-place finish.

Much of the attention, though, in this qualifying round was going to Chloe Kim, given her superstar status in the sports world and the recency of her shoulder injury. It reportedly wasn’t as bad as it could have been, but it was enough to sideline her from training during a time when Olympic snowboarders certainly don’t want to be idle.

“A little disappointing,” she said, “because, obviously, going to the Olympics, I want to be very, very ready and very prepared.”

So it wasn’t clear if she would be ready. Questions about just what to expect from Chloe Kim in this first Olympic run were fair given the circumstances.

Then she went out and crushed it.

She looked like, well, Chloe Kim. Such a rare talent on display. Few other competitors in this field would be able to match the height and amplitude Kim brings in the halfpipe.

It’s a breathtaking sight. It was again this time, expected or not.

“Anyone who has been tuned into snowboarding for as long as Chloe Kim has been around knows that she’s going to go all out, give everyone a show,” USA teammate Bea Kim said. “That’s what she did.”

What’s scary for the rest of this halfpipe finals field is Chloe Kim said she didn’t even throw her best stuff in this introductory Olympics performance. Maybe a couple of aspects were in there that’ll be in her planned finals run, she said, but much of what’s to come hasn’t been seen yet.

She also insisted that she isn’t feeling as much pressure this time around, “because I’m just happy to be here – truly” after the shoulder injury put her 2026 Olympics in question.

“I’m just so happy that I made it,” she said, “especially this time around. I honestly feel like I wasn’t as nervous as the previous ones.”

As for the possibility of producing snowboarding’s first Olympic three-peat?

“I guess it’s a cool title,” Chloe Kim said in understated fashion. “But I think even after Beijing (in 2022), I’m so satisfied with my career. If you asked me before (the) shoulder injury, I’d maybe have a different answer for you. But just because I’m coming back from an injury, (and) obviously didn’t get nearly the amount of reps I normally would get going into the Olympics, I’m just really proud of myself and proud that I’ve been able to push it as far I have.

“We’ll see how it goes down tomorrow night, but I feel confident.”

Reach sports columnist Gentry Estes at gestes@gannett.com and hang out with him on Bluesky @gentryestes.bsky.social