Chloe Kim opens strong in women’s halfpipe final, chasing historic third straight Olympic gold
Chloe Kim launched her bid for history with a commanding first run in the women’s snowboard halfpipe final on Thursday, staking an early lead as the pressure and the moment built in Livigno. The event began at 1:30 p.m. ET, with three runs per rider and the best single score deciding the medals.
Early statement from the defending champion
Kim set the tone immediately, posting an 88.00 on her opening run to move into first place. She opened with a clean backside 720, flowed into a switch backside air, then upped the difficulty with a switch double cork 1080 before capping the sequence with an inverted 540. With two more attempts to come, the 25-year-old has room to raise the bar as the field tries to reel her in.
Conditions in the pipe rewarded amplitude and precision, and Kim looked composed from drop-in to finish, riding with the controlled aggression that has defined her biggest-stage performances.
A high-stakes path to history
Kim is attempting to become the first snowboarder to win three consecutive Olympic gold medals in the halfpipe. She entered the final after topping qualifying on Wednesday, competing in a brace on her left shoulder following a torn labrum suffered last month. The injury has not dulled her edge. While another three-time champion exists in the event’s lore, no rider has strung together a three-peat. The stage is set for Kim to do just that if she can fend off a deep roster of challengers over the final two runs.
The format adds intrigue: riders have three runs, but only the best score counts. That structure can invite firework-filled final attempts — and dramatic swings on the leaderboard.
Teammates ride the roller coaster
American teammate Bea Kim displayed resilience after an opening-run miscue. She attempted a switch backside 900 to start but couldn’t hold the landing and earned just 7.25. On her second run, she reset and delivered a clean, technical sequence — switch backside 900 into a 720, a frontside 540 and a frontside 720 — to post a 77.00 and vault back into contention. With one run left, she remains positioned to threaten the podium if she can add difficulty or amplitude while staying clean.
Maddie Mastro faced early adversity of her own. The American crashed on her first attempt and received a 5.50, then went big on her second with a double flip but couldn’t ride it out. Her strategy is clear: land the heavy-hitting run in round three when it matters most. In a best-of-three format, one flawless pass can rewrite the standings, and Mastro is chasing just that.
Scare for contender Choi Gaon
Choi Gaon of Korea, among the top contenders coming into the final, provided a heart-in-mouth moment early when she attempted a switch frontside 1080 but caught the lip and went down hard. Medical staff examined her as she lay momentarily motionless, and the crowd fell silent before she rose to her feet to a loud ovation. The crash underscored the razor-thin margins at the pinnacle of the sport, where progression meets risk on every wall of the pipe.
With two runs still available after the fall, Choi’s status and ability to reengage with full difficulty remain key variables that could influence the podium picture.
Energy and atmosphere fuel the show
The scene in Livigno matched the stakes, with a lively soundtrack and a celebrity boost adding to the spectacle. Classic West Coast hip-hop pulsed through the venue, and an enthusiastic announcer even chimed in on the chorus, drawing smiles all around. Snoop Dogg — sporting a Chloe Kim jacket — danced along in the stands, amplifying the energy for a crowd that responded in kind to every clean landing and every close call.
From the drop gates to the finish corral, the environment felt like a celebration of the sport’s culture and progression, all while the riders navigated the intense pressure of Olympic finals night.
What to watch next
With two runs remaining for each rider, expect the difficulty to rise across the board. Kim may look to add amplitude or variety to push past the 90-point barrier, while her challengers are likely saving their heaviest-hitting trick stacks for the final pass. The best-of-three format means the standings can swing on a single landed — or missed — trick.
Elsewhere on Thursday’s program, short track speed skating features the women’s 500 meters and the men’s 1000 meters finals, and men’s ice hockey continues with a high-profile preliminary matchup between the United States and Latvia at 3:10 p.m. ET. But in the halfpipe, the spotlight remains firmly on the riders readying their last two shots at Olympic glory.
