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American snowboarder Chloe Kim shared an upbeat update on her status for the Cortina Olympics in Milan.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist said she is “good to go” for the competition despite dealing with the effects of a torn labrum in her shoulder. Kim suffered the injury during a recent training run in Switzerland.
The 2026 Games are scheduled to begin in less than a month, giving Kim a short window to recover and pursue her third consecutive halfpipe gold medal. Kim won gold in 2018 in Pyeongchang and again in 2022 in Beijing.
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Chloe Kim of the United States trains before the women’s halfpipe finals at the 2022 Winter Olympics on February 10, 2022 in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)
In an update posted on Instagram Tuesday, Kim said she wasn’t surprised to learn she had torn her labrum, the lining of the socket that holds the shoulder together. She did not specify which shoulder was injured when she fell while preparing for the upcoming Laax Open.
“There are two ways to do it, and the way I did it is less severe than the other, so I’m really happy about that,” she said. “Obviously, I’m really disappointed that I can’t snowboard until right before the Olympics, which will be tough. I haven’t gotten nearly as many reps as I’d like, but that’s OK.”
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Women’s Olympic halfpipe competition begins February 11.
The 25-year-old Kim, who has already qualified for the US team, would be the heavy favorite to win in Italy if she is healthy. She said she will not compete this weekend in Laax. She did not mention the Winter X Games in Aspen later this month, which is the last major competition before the Olympics.
Gold medalist Chloe Kim of the USA in action during the snowboard halfpipe competition at the FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland, on 29 March 2025. (Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP, File)
Kim has competed in just one competition this season – last month at Copper Mountain – and while warming up for the finals there, she suffered a shoulder injury.
Last week, she posted a video of her fall in Switzerland, which showed her running over the halfpipe after disorienting on the landing of a jump. At the time, she said she sprained her shoulder and wasn’t in much pain. An MRI scan from last Friday revealed the labrum tear.
In her video, Kim said she will have to wear a “super sexy shoulder brace” that is uncomfortable.
“I went through a lot of different waves of emotions, but honestly, I’m really excited for this week,” she said.
Snowboarder Chloe Kim of the United States poses for a photo during a Team USA photo shoot at Sunset Glenoaks Studios on May 21, 2025 in Sun Valley, California. (Harry How/Getty Images)
The end of the video flashed to her picking up her boyfriend, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, at a train station. Earlier this month, Garrett broke the NFL’s all-time single-season sack record when he tackled quarterback Joe Burrow in Week 18.
