Chloe Kim delivered Olympic gold in 2018 amidst high expectations as a teenager. A year later she took time off to heal an injury and attend Princeton, then returned in 2021 to win world and X Games titles. She remains the superwoman of her event and a heavy favorite to repeat this winter.
As part of our preparation for the 2022 Games, NBC Olympics sent questionnaires to multiple athletes to learn more about their lives on and off the snow or ice. Here’s what we found out about Kim:
Chloe Kim, Snowboarding
Event: Halfpipe
Age: 21
Birthplace: Long Beach, Calif.
Hometown: Los Angeles
Residence: Las Vegas
@ChloeKim | chloekim
SEE MORE: Now 21, American snowboarder Chloe Kim shifts her priorities
Family & Upbringing
Tell us about your family.
❝My parents are from South Korea. I have two sisters who were born in the U.S.❞
Are you a first-generation American?
❝Yes.❞
Where does your family come from?
❝South Korea.❞
How influential were your parents in your athletic aspirations?
❝They were extremely supportive of me when I decided to become a professional snowboarder.❞
Did you attend college?
❝I attended Princeton University.❞
View social media post: https://www.instagram.com/p/B_WVwTLFGMW/
Do you have any pets?
❝Reese is a mini Australian shepherd.❞
View social media post: https://www.instagram.com/p/BMbuI6QjbWK/
How has your hometown shaped who you are today?
I moved a lot so it's hard to say, but I think watching my parents both work really hard to support me taught me a lot.
Lifestyle & Training
Typical training day?
❝Depends on where we are, but we typically go to the mountain as soon as it's open or whenever our training time is for a competition, so it really depends.❞
How much time to you train? How much do you sleep?
❝Anywhere from three to seven hours.❞
What's your favorite workout?
❝I'm into running these days.❞
What's the most grueling workout you've ever done?
❝Running – before I started to like it.❞
Surprising things regarding training for Olympics?
That I definitely work hard and play hard. I like to have set schedules so I can ensure I give myself some free fun time. It's a balance.
Any out-of-the-ordinary or experimental training?
❝Eating healthy. I've been cooking a lot more and have learned the importance of knowing what's going into your body.❞
Experience during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic?
❝I was at home during COVID[-19's onset]. It was a little crazy, for sure. It affected my training quite a bit with limited access to things I needed to stay in shape for the season. I really had to get creative with it.❞
Have you ever been seriously injured?
❝My first serious injury was the one in 2019, I broke my fibula during a competition and had to get surgery.❞
View social media post: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu6881HFz74/
Any nutrition plan? (e.g., calories, meals)
❝I like to eat healthy. I try to have a balanced plate every day, but of course will allow myself to go enjoy a sweet treat.❞
Dessert indulgences?
❝Ice cream!!!❞
Reflection & Olympics
Earliest memory of participating in sport?
❝I was 6 when I decided I wanted to become a professional snowboarder after watching the Olympics, but I started for fun with my parents when I was 4 at Mountain High.❞
Earliest memory of watching Olympics or Paralympics?
❝When I was 6 I watched the [Torino] women's halfpipe competition and it really inspired me.❞
Specific breakthrough moment?
When I was 13 I qualified for the Sochi Olympics. Unfortunately, I was too young to go, but that's when I felt like I had made it and that I definitely had a chance to make the 2018 Olympics.
What would you change about your sport?
❝I don't know what I would change about my sport. I love what I do and I think there's a lot of room for progression for sure. We do have these new contests, though, called modified halfpipes, where they bring different features into the course in addition to the halfpipe. I had a lot of fun at those because I loved slopestyle when I was younger, before I decided to stick to halfpipe. But with those modified halfpipes, it really challenges you to be a good, all-around snowboarder.❞
Who is your coach?
❝My snowboard coach's name is Rick Bower. I've been working with him since I was 14 and he is probably the only person I really trust when I need some help.❞
Close friends with any competitors?
❝Yes! I love the men and women on the Chinese team. Liu Jiayu and Cai Xuetong are both amazing women and I've had the pleasure of competing with them over the past few years.❞
Biggest fear when competing?
❝Not doing the best that I can.❞
Olympic or Paralympic role model?
❝[Vancouver gold medalist] Torah Bright, [Sochi gold medalist] Kaitlyn Farrington, [three-time Paralympic medalist] Amy Purdy, [2010 Olympian] Louie Vito.❞
SEE MORE: Chloe Kim recounts gold in South Korea, looks ahead to 2022
Summer Olympic buddy?
❝A lot of my friends competed in the recent Tokyo Olympics! One of them being my very good friend Jordyn Barrett, who is a skateboarder. It was really fun watching the Summer Olympics, it made me excited for our Winter Games!❞
Advice you'd give a young athlete?
❝I would say never give up and no dream is too big. As long as you believe in yourself, nothing else matters.❞
Best part of living in the Olympic Village?
❝It was an awesome experience [in 2018]! My favorite memory is sitting in this room full of massage chairs and watching the other events with my team.❞
Where do you keep your PyeongChang gold?
❝It's a secret.❞
Which Summer Olympic event would you like to try?
I want to try curling for sure, but I also think it'd be so cool to play a tennis match with Naomi Osaka.
Ever been told you wouldn't succeed?
❝All the time! I think a lot of people didn't want me to succeed, even friends and family, but that never stopped me. I also learned to not care about what others thought about me.❞
Are you superstitious?
❝Yes, I have to knock on my board before I drop in to un-jinx myself, since you have to knock on wood.❞
Passions & Personality
Which comic books/superheroes are you a fan of?
❝I love superheroes haha, like all of them honestly. It'd be sick to be one one day in a movie or something.❞
What is your favorite video game to play? And on which console?
❝Call of Duty! Xbox.❞
Please list any other languages you speak.
I can speak Korean and French fluently. I learned Korean naturally because of my parents, and French I learned when I moved to Switzerland for two years to live with my aunt.
How do you unwind after a competition?
❝I go shopping.❞
Which charities or nonprofits do you support?
❝Protect our Winters, because the climate is very important to me and my sport.❞
What would you do if you weren't an athlete?
❝I would probably be in school!❞
Do you have any fears or pet peeves?
❝Biggest pet peeve is when people walk super slow in front of me and take up the whole sidewalk.❞
What is on your bucket list?
❝I don't know if this is a bucket list thing but I want a horse one day.❞
Personal motto or inspirational quote?
❝I know it's outdated, but, 'You only live once.'❞
SEE MORE: 2021 Worlds: Chloe Kim repeats as snowboard halfpipe champ
A woman that inspires you?
❝My mom. She's seriously the most loving and compassionate person I know, and I am always so grateful for her.❞
Favorite hobbies?
❝I love shopping with friends or going to the beach with friends and going on dates with my boyfriend.❞
Favorite musicians?
Billie Eilish, Beyonce, Rihanna.
Do you sing or play an instrument?
❝I taught myself how to play guitar. I'm really not good at all lol.❞
Personal style?
❝Sweatpants.❞
Must-have items in your gym bag?
❝Water, change of clothes and my wallet.❞
If you could hear from one celeb, who would it be?
❝Rihanna.❞
Favorite social account or person?
❝Honestly, I follow this account @oldgays on TikTok and I love it because they seem like the sweetest group of people. I want to hang out with them.❞
