WINTER GAMES
KIM
exclamation point, stomping a pair of 1080 spins (three complete turns), then practically diving into a hug with American teammate and bronze medal winner Arielle Gold to seal a moment four years in the making.
“I don’t really know what’s happening and I’m actually feeling a little anxious right now,” Kim said. “I’m a little overwhelmed. But this is the best outcome I could ever ask for and it’s been such a long journey. Just going home with the gold is amazing.”
Competing in front of her extended family, a group that included her Korean-born parents and her South Korean grandmother, Kim put on a show that delivered on her considerable pre-Olympic hype.
She put together a 93.75 during her first run, one that included just one 1080, not the two that have become her trademark. No matter. The near-perfect third run provided the exclamation point.
“I knew that I did put down a really good first run, but I was also like, ‘I can do better than that. I can one up myself,’ “Kim said.
Liu Jiayu took silver with an 89.75 to become the first Chinese snowboarder to medal at the Olympics. Gold, who pondered retirement last summer, overcame a dislocated shoulder suffered during training to edge teammate and three-time Olympic medalist Kelly Clark for third.
Kim’s parents were born in South Korea and moved to the United States, putting their daughter in an interesting position heading into her first Olympics.
Though she understands the urge to build a narrative around her that ties together the host country and the one she calls home, it is one she has politely sidestepped. She views herself as a kid from Torrance, California, who likes music, the mall, ice cream — and putting down the kind of gravity-escaping runs that have made her a dominant force in her sport.
Kim would have made the Olympic team with ease four years ago, only to have the calendar get in the way.
She was 13 at the time, too young to make the trip to Russia. She entered these games with huge expectations, and has exceeded every one.
She drilled her opening set, throwing in a 1080 — basically, three twists high above the pipe — before following it with a pair of flips (or “corks”). When her score flashed, she clasped her hands atop her head and drank in the moment.
Kim’s teammates made serious bids to give the Americans only their fourthever Olympic podium sweep.
Gold brushed off a fall during her first run and posted an 85.75 on her third run. Clark, the 2002 Olympic champion still going strong at age 34, couldn’t quite catch Gold with an 83.50.
Jiayu came the closest to providing Kim with a serious threat. She threw down a 89.75 during her first set to take the lead, only to watch Kim top it during her first run moments later. Jiayu then washed out on her last trip.