Chloe Kim kept all of America, and most of the world, up late last night, watching the 17-year-old phenom slide and soar in her trek to Olympic gold in the snowboarding halfpipe. There's nothing halfway or another descriptive word starting with “half” about anything that Chloe Kim does.
She could have her third run a celebratory formality, a victory lap, since she was already holding gold with her 93.75 score, but Chloe Kim, even amidst her dream Olympic moment, knew that “I wasn't going to be completely satisfied taking home the gold, but knowing I could've done better.” Her third time was more than charmed for the groundbreaker in her sport, with the athlete hitting back-to-back 1080 rotations on her second and third jumps.
The feat has never been accomplished by any other woman in competition, and Chloe Kim puts the word “airborne” in a whole other concept category. Her final score came in at 98.25 -- marking a fever-pitch finish.
In so many ways, from her beaming smile to her blonde locks, and being blatantly self-revealing on social media, Chloe Kim has a unique set of ABC's for her golden Olympic success.
Adoring family
Every eye across the world mirrors those of the athletic contenders at the Olympics. Whether earning the gold, silver, or bronze disc at the end of the wide ribbon or not, the realization of being among elite Olympic athletes is rewarding enough for those in competition. Every cheer and every tear rolling down the cheeks of parents put the years of training in perspective.
Enthusiasm doesn’t even begin to touch the support that Jong Kim, Chloe’s father, poured into his daughter and her passion for snowboarding since age 4. Even from that age, she was doing things that no aficionado had ever seen, especially for a female. When asked during a February 12 family interview on “Today” if his daughter held onto him in her young days, Jong Kim replied with the opposite response.
He held on to her during those high rides on the lift, “I was 48 then, and she was young and strong.” Mom, Boran, concurs, “She was a very active baby,” and always ready for more.
Before her conquering third run, Chloe dedicated the effort to “Grams.” Her South Korean grandmother watched her granddaughter compete for the first time in her native country, and it certainly was memorable.
The signs Jong Kim crafts bearing his daughter’s name have caught attention from cameras across the globe, but what never escapes his daughter's mind is the sacrifice that he constantly made for his daughter and her passion.
“He cooked, he cleaned, he washed clothes, he put sunscreen on my face,” Chloe Kim spoke of her dad to Megyn Kelly this morning. The doting daughter added that for long periods, he was mother and father, having come to the United States in 1982, with just $800 and a Korean-English dictionary. When Chloe was 10, her professor father gave up his job to devote himself full-time to his daughter's dream. The family made the nearly 6-hour trips between Mammoth Mountain and their home in Torrance continually.
Jong Kim’s favorite commute now is from his viewing area to the finish on the course, which he seems to complete in record time, every time. He gushes with pride in raving that “She is my American dream,” of his history-making daughter.
Breakfast time
Chloe Kim gave herself a scolding on Twitter, saying “my stubborn self” would not finish a breakfast sandwich, resulting in a “hangry” state before her qualifying rounds. No matter how loving the family, they can't live in the Olympic village, but every teen hears the echo of mom and dad reminding about “the most important meal of the day.” Chloe has a world of followers who relate.
College, not so much at the moment
Jong Kim is insistent that college takes priority now that his daughter has captured the golden hardware, but his daughter has other thoughts, maybe about eating churros and ice cream instead.
Chloe Kim does feel the parental pressure, but she has a good reason for not making any moves to higher education too fast. The medalist gave only a murky “Mmmm” reply to Megyn Kelly’s question on college choices. “I know they couldn't live without me,” she playfully quipped of her parents, relating how they have proposed “renting a place not far from campus, just to be nearby.”
The cords that bind this family don't seem ready to be cut anytime soon, and Chloe Kim has years of a new kind of life as a gold-medal Olympian and full-fledged ambassador for girl power. Her kind of inspiration is learning in itself, and college can come in its own time.
