Winter Olympics: US icon reveals injury shock before historic gold bid
Chloe Kim begins her quest for a third consecutive Olympic snowboard halfpipe title on Wednesday despite suffering a torn labrum in her shoulder just last month.
The defending champion arrives in Milan Cortina under a significant fitness cloud following a training accident.
Kim, widely regarded as the dominant force in women’s snowboarding, will be forced to compete with a protective brace on her left side.
Despite the setback, the Californian insists the injury has not derailed her preparations for the qualification rounds.
In a funny way… [the brace] made my riding better.Chloe Kim
She is attempting to secure a historic hat-trick of gold medals on the halfpipe.
Chock and Bates chase elusive crown
While Kim begins her campaign, a veteran American duo are fighting for their sporting lives on the ice.
Evan Bates and Madison Chock are hunting for the one major prize that has so far escaped their grasp: individual Olympic gold.
The three-time world champions currently sit in second place following the rhythm dance section.
They trail the French leaders, Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron, heading into Wednesday’s decisive free dance.
Although the pair possess two team gold medals, they must deliver a flawless performance to overturn the deficit and top the podium.
Other US hopefuls in the field include the pairings of Vadym Kolesnik with Emilea Zingas, and Anthony Ponomarenko with Christina Carreira.
Wednesday’s key events (All times EST)
Beyond the headline acts, medals are on the line in alpine skiing and freestyle moguls.
- 04:30: Snowboard – Women’s Halfpipe Qualification
- 05:30: Alpine Skiing – Men’s Super-G
- 08:15: Biathlon – Women’s 15km Individual
- 08:15: Freestyle Skiing – Women’s Moguls Finals
- 12:30: Speedskating – Men’s 1000m
- 13:30: Figure Skating – Ice Dance Free Dance