Meet Chloe Kim, Our Newest Gold Medal Hopeful

The Golden State is no stranger to snowboard superstars. San Diego’s Shaun White is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and X Games gold medal record holder. Over the last decade, his legendary half-pipe performances make him one of the upcoming games most recognizable and seasoned athletes.

Young Chloe Kim could steal that spotlight.

Already a four-time X Games champion, Kim would have already competed in the Sochi Olympics if her age didn’t disqualify her. As she arrives in Pyeongchang, all eyes are on the SoCal teen as she finally gets her chance to take home her biggest prize yet.

According to a story that ran in The Washington Post, “Kim could emerge from these Olympics as a transcendent athlete. Her Korean-born parents immigrated here more than 20 years ago, and she’ll have no shortage of extended family members gathering around the Pyeongchang half-pipe. Despite her close ties to the host nation, Kim feels little internal struggle over cultural identity.

“’I always get the question, like, ‘Where are you from?’ L.A. ‘No, where are you really from?’ I was born in Long Beach. ‘No, no, like, where are you really, really from?’” she said. “. . . I always get that question. It’s never, like, my first answer would be, ‘I’m from Korea,’ or like, ‘I’m Korean.’ It’s always like, ‘I’m American.’”

The Winter Olympics kicked off Thursday, February 8, and Kim’s debut is Monday, February 12.

You can read more about Kim and her gold medal prospects here.