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American snowboarder Chloe Kim shared an optimistic update on her status for the Milan Cortina Olympics.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist said she is “good to go” in the competition despite dealing with the effects of a torn shoulder. Kim suffered the injury during a recent training session in Switzerland.
The 2026 Games are scheduled to begin in less than a month, giving Kim a brief window to recover and seek her third consecutive halfpipe gold medal. Kim won gold in 2018 in Pyeongchang and again in 2022 in Beijing.
In an update posted to Instagram on Tuesday, Kim said she wasn’t surprised to learn that she had torn her labrum, the lining of the socket that holds the shoulder together. He did not specify which shoulder he injured when he fell while preparing for the upcoming Laax Open.
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FILE – Chloe Kim of the United States trains before the women’s halfpipe final at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Feb. 10, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)
“There are two ways to do it, and the way I did it is less severe than the other, so I’m very happy about that,” he said. “Obviously, I’m really disappointed because I can’t snowboard until right before the Olympics, which is going to be difficult. I haven’t gotten the amount of reps I would have liked, but it’s okay.”
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The Olympic women’s halfpipe competition begins on February 11.
Kim, 25, who has already qualified for the American team, would be the heavy favorite to win in Italy if she is fully healthy. He said he will not compete this weekend in Laax. He didn’t mention the Winter X Games taking place in Aspen later this month, which is the last major competition before the Olympics.
Gold medalist Chloe Kim of the USA in action during the Snowboard Halfpipe competition at the FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Saturday, March 29, 2025. (Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP, file)
Kim has only been to one competition this season, last month at Copper Mountain, and while warming up for the finals there, she also suffered a shoulder injury.
Last week, she posted a video of her fall in Switzerland, which showed her sliding down the halfpipe after losing her bearings landing from a jump. At the time, he said he dislocated his shoulder and wasn’t in much pain. An MRI last Friday revealed the labral tear.
In her video, Kim said she will have to wear a “super sexy shoulder pad” that is uncomfortable. “I went through a lot 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 on May 21, 2025 in Sun Valley, California. (Harry How/Getty Images)
The end of the video shows her picking up her boyfriend, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, at a train station. Earlier this month, Garrett broke the NFL’s all-time single-season sack record when he tackled quarterback Joe Burrow in Week 18.
