US snowboarding icon Chloe Kim has announced she is “good to go” for next month’s Milano Cortina Winter Games, silencing fears that a recent training crash would end her historic bid for a third consecutive Olympic gold medal.
Kim, 25, revealed on Tuesday that an MRI confirmed a torn labrum in her shoulder following what she described as “the silliest fall” during a practice run in Laax, Switzerland. The injury occurred last week as she prepared for the Laax Open, causing her to slide into the halfpipe wall while traveling upward on her board.
Despite the setback, the two-time defending champion remains optimistic about her ability to compete. “There are two different ways to do it, and I guess the way I did it is less severe than the other, so I’m really happy about that,” Kim shared in a video update. However, the recovery timeline presents a significant challenge. Kim acknowledged she will not be able to return to the snow until “right before the Olympics,” forcing her to miss the upcoming X Games in Aspen and severely limiting her on-snow preparation.
“I haven’t gotten nearly the amount of reps I would’ve liked, but that’s OK,” Kim stated, noting she will compete in Italy wearing a “super-sexy shoulder brace” to stabilize the joint.
The stakes are monumental as Kim heads to the Italian Dolomites. After dominating the halfpipe in PyeongChang 2018 as a teenager and defending her title in Beijing 2022, she is vying to become the first woman to win three consecutive Olympic snowboarding golds. While her technical dominance and amplitude are proven, the lack of recent competition reps and the physical limitations of a shoulder injury add a layer of uncertainty to her title defense. Critics and medical experts may question whether the short recovery window is sufficient to withstand the G-forces of an Olympic-caliber run without risking further damage or dislocation.
Image Prompt
> A high-resolution, photo-realistic press shot of snowboarder Chloe Kim standing at the base of a snowy halfpipe in the Italian Alps. She is wearing her Team USA snowboarding gear and holding her snowboard vertically next to her. Her expression is focused and determined, looking slightly off-camera. The lighting is crisp winter sunlight, casting long shadows on the groomed snow. In the background, the jagged peaks of the Dolomites are visible under a clear blue sky.
Illustration Prompt
> A dynamic, stylized digital illustration of a female snowboarder mid-air above a halfpipe. The style should be energetic and vector-based, using cool blues and bright whites for the snow and ice, contrasted with the vibrant colors of the snowboarder’s gear. The figure is performing a high-amplitude trick, silhouetted against a stylized sun. A subtle golden aura surrounds the boarder, symbolizing her past gold medals, while a faint medical cross graphic is artistically integrated into the shoulder area to represent the injury.
SEO Keywords
> Chloe Kim, Milano Cortina 2026, Winter Olympics, Snowboarding Halfpipe, Torn Labrum, Chloe Kim Injury, Olympic Three-Peat, Team USA Snowboarding, Laax Open, Snowboard Training.
Social Media Posts
- X (Twitter):
Chloe Kim says she’s “good to go” for #MilanoCortina2026 despite a torn labrum! 🏂🇺🇸 The back-to-back gold medalist is fighting through a shoulder injury for a historic three-peat. “I haven’t gotten nearly the amount of reps I would’ve liked, but that’s OK.” #ChloeKim #WinterOlympics #TeamUSA
- Instagram:
She’s not backing down. 💪 Chloe Kim confirms she will compete in the Milano Cortina Games next month despite suffering a torn labrum in training last week. While she’ll miss the X Games and has limited practice time (“the silliest fall,” she called it), she’s eyeing a historic third consecutive gold. Can she pull off the three-peat with a shoulder brace? 🥇🥇❓ #ChloeKim #Snowboarding #Olympics2026 #MilanoCortina #RecoveryMode
- Facebook:
Great news for Team USA fans! Snowboarding star Chloe Kim has confirmed she will compete at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics next month, despite suffering a torn labrum in her shoulder during training in Switzerland.
Kim admits the injury—caused by what she called “the silliest fall”—means she won’t be back on snow until right before the Games. She is aiming for a historic third straight gold medal in the halfpipe. Leave a comment to wish her a speedy recovery! 🇺🇸🏂
