Chloe Kim thwarted in bid for Olympic halfpipe three-peat by South Korea's Choi Gaon

"The snowfall coming down on Livigno Snow Park on Thursday night helped produce one of the bigger Olympic upsets in snowboard history, as Chloe Kim's bid to become the first rider to win three consecutive Olympic halfpipe gold medals ended just short. Kim finished with a best score of 88.00 from her opening run, settling for silver behind surprise winner Choi Gaon of South Korea, whose heroic third run after an early fall earned 90.25 and rewrote the Olympic record books."

"For a sport that has spent nearly a decade orbiting Kim's technical and competitive standard, the result felt seismic not because she rode poorly, but because someone finally assembled the perfect combination of risk, execution and timing on the night it mattered most. The loss ends one of the most dominant Olympic streaks in modern winter sport. Kim entered the Games as a two-time defending Olympic champion and overwhelming favorite to complete a three-peat no snowboarder had ever achieved."

"The victory came less than six weeks after Kim dislocated her left shoulder, an injury that threatened to derail her Olympic buildup. Instead, the brace she wore throughout the competition became part of the story: a visible reminder of vulnerability for an athlete who has spent most of her career appearing nearly untouchable. Among those watching from the bottom of the pipe was her boyfriend, NFL star Myles Garrett, stationed near the photo pit with a camera in hand as he tracked each run."

Snowfall at Livigno Snow Park set the stage for a significant upset as Chloe Kim's attempt to become the first snowboarder to win three consecutive Olympic halfpipe gold medals fell short. Kim scored 88.00 on her opening run and settled for silver behind South Korea's Choi Gaon, whose heroic third run after an early fall earned 90.25. Japan's Mitsuki Ono claimed bronze with 85.00. The result ended Kim's dominant Olympic streak despite a strong showing and followed a left-shoulder dislocation less than six weeks earlier; Kim competed wearing a brace while supporters, including boyfriend Myles Garrett, watched. Kim first won gold in 2018 and defended it in 2022.

Read at www.theguardian.com