Torch passed to high-flying kids

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’s sure looks good with Kim strapped into an oblong-shaped board that skims across a carved-out 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 statementmaking 98.25 points —an eye-popping score reserved for snowboarding gods.

Gold, 21, reached the podium with a worthy thirdrun 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.”