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California snowboard queen Kim soars as Americans take first and third place
Snowboarder Chloe Kim takes the gold medal in halfpipe.
BONGPYEONG-MYEON, SOUTH KOREA >> Of all the Kims in Korea, color Chloe golden.
The Olympic torch passed gracefully yet forcefully under cerulean sky Tuesday as Chloe Kim dominated the women’s halfpipe the way fellow Mammoth shredder Kelly Clark once did.
Kim, 17, won the gold medal while Colorado’s Arielle Gold grabbed the bronze on her final run to slip past Clark, who at 34 is a snowboarding heroine after competing in her fifth Winter Olympics.
“Not a lot of people get to stay around long enough to see what their legacy will be,” said Clark, a three-time medalist who was fourth for the second time.
From anyone’s vantage point, it sure looks good with Kim strapped into an oblongshaped board that skims across a carvedout ice canyon. The teen who grew up in Orange County gained 100,000 Twitter followers as she somersaulted down the halfpipe after an early morning snow covered the Korean ski resort in a glowing alpine scene.
She scored an impressive 93.75 points out of 100 on her first run, putting pressure on the 11 other riders who reached the final.
Liu Jiayu prevented an American sweep by winning the silver medal with a score of 89.75.
Although Kim already secured the gold after Liu’s final attempt, it wasn’t enough for a kid who was considered the world’s best at 13 but too young to compete at the Sochi Games.
Kim blasted through the pipe in a coronation cruise to win with a statement-making 98.25 points — an eye-popping score reserved for snowboarding gods.
Gold, 21, reached the podium with a wor-
thy third-run that scored 85.75 points to edge Clark, who had three solid attempts but a mere 2.25 points out of a medal.
“I love the Olympics,” Clark said last month in Mammoth. “I’ve given my life to pursuing this dream. I’ve learned that you shouldn’t treat the Olympics as a destination nor should they be something that defines you. They should be an addition to a wonderful snowboard career.”
If it’s the end of one wonderful career, it’s also just the start of another. Well, not exactly the beginning
because Kim — whose family name is universal in Korea — has been dominant the past four seasons.
But every four years snowboarding bursts out of its actionsports bubble and into the homes of America, possibly propelling Kim to celebrity status.
She and Gold continued a long tradition of excellence by U.S. boarders, who have won 10 of 18 halfpipe medals in the 20 years since snowboarding has been part of the Olympic menu.
Kim, whose grandmother came from Seoul to watch her compete for the first time, seemed to unaffected by the grandeur of the Games.
She learned before her second
run that the grandmother was watching.
“This one is for Grams,” said Kim, who often appeared distracted in a news conference after the victory.
When the teen was asked about what songs she had listened to before each of her three runs, Kim started simulating one of the songs with Gold while her answer was translated into Korean, one of the languages the snowboarder speaks.
The teen tweeted during the competition, “Wish I finished my breakfast sandwich but my stubborn self decided not to and now I’m getting hangry.”
Kim was looking forward to a burger and fries and Hawaiian
pizza.
“I’ll eat anything right now, I’m so hungry,” she said.
Kim started the journey free boarding in Japan before the Winter Games because she needed a “soul cleanse” from the Olympic pressure as the big favorite.
“I needed something else other than the halfpipe,” Kim said. “You kind of get sick of it riding the same tricks over and over again.”
The antics and attitude underscored how action-sports wizards have helped transport the stodgy Olympics into the 21st century with a combination of fun and death-defying trickery.
Perhaps it’s time for the more serious-minded Clark to artfully
transition into the next stage of her life.
She already had moved to Folsom while continuing to own her Mammoth home. She came west to the Sierra from Vermont in 2001 and within a year was an Olympic champion.
“I’ve never lived near a mall,” Clark told this news organization.
Clark could see the end while watching Kim, Gold and the other competitors.
“If I did the run I won with in Salt Lake, I wouldn’t even make the final” in Korea, she told a group of reporters Tuesday.
“I think my Olympic career could end today.”
She’s leaving the U.S. cabinet well stocked.