Chloe Kim returns to Olympic halfpipe with shoulder brace after 11-month gap, eyes gold

Chloe Kim is about to take her first serious ride in a halfpipe in almost 11 months, and it is happening at the biggest stage possible, the Olympics in Italy. The American snowboard star will compete wearing a brace on her left shoulder after an injury during training in Switzerland in January.

Kim has not had a smooth buildup to these Games. She hurt her shoulder just weeks before the event and only returned to the halfpipe around two weeks ago. Since then, her practice sessions have slowly brought back her rhythm on the snow.

“I have so much anxiety,” Kim said as she prepared for the event.

Despite the nerves, Kim said the brace has oddly helped her riding feel more controlled. Her coach Rick Bower also shared that her recent training sessions have been strong enough to believe she can still challenge for gold.

Kim qualified for the Olympic team early after winning an event in Aspen in January 2025. She later won a world championship and then took a long break before slowly preparing for this season. Her plan was to focus on practice and compete in just two events before the Olympics.

She managed to complete a qualifying run at Copper Mountain in December but fell before the final and hurt her shoulder. She recovered from that setback but injured it again during training in Switzerland almost a month before the Games.

As a result, that run in Colorado remains the only official scored run she has completed since last March. Kim said that once she drops into the halfpipe, her body usually remembers what to do even if her mind feels nervous.

“I feel confident,” Kim said.

When fully fit, Kim is considered the favorite in any competition. However, the field has improved, especially with young riders like South Korea’s Gaon Choi pushing the difficulty level higher.

Kim plans to attempt a new and more difficult run than the one she used to win in Beijing. It will include spins in both directions and a mix of forward and backward approaches that she has never performed in competition before.

For Kim, landing that run matters as much as the medal.