by REERA YOO | @reeraboo
editor@charactermedia.com
Chloe Kim, 14, became the youngest gold medalist in Winter X Games history, edging seven-time X Games gold medalist Kelly Clark to silver in the women’s snowboard superpipe on Saturday night.
Kim, who was too young to compete in the Sochi Olympics, initially appeared to be on her way to silver after her two runs in Aspen, Colo. She had chipped her tooth and scraped her cheek during practice, just five minutes before the competition began, but the young snowboard phenom stayed resilient and nailed her third and final run with an impressive score of 92 points, according to NBC Sports.
Her final score earned her gold and pushed Clark and two-time Olympic medalist Torah Bright to second and third places, respectively.
How did Kim feel after defeating two of the greatest women’s snowboarders of all time?
“My face kind of hurts right now,” Kim told ESPN after winning gold. “I am just so amazed that I was able to land all that. It was so fun.”
Watch Chloe’s gold medal run below:
Clark, who earned bronze in the Sochi Winter Olympics, was hoping to win her sixth consecutive gold medal in the X Games halfpipe, but Kim’s win effectively ended Clark’s winning streak. Despite this, it seems like the 31-year-old snowboarder is happy to pass the torch to Kim.
“She’s one of most talented athletes I’ve seen in a long time,” Clark said of Kim before the competition, according to the Associated Press. “She’s amazing now and she has tons of potential. In years to come, I’ll be able to look at women’s snowboarding and know that not only is it in good hands, but it’s in the hands of someone I’m proud of.”
Newscasters are calling Kim the “future of snowboarding.” It looks like Kim’s career will be soaring into new heights soon.
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Read our Feb. 2014 cover story on Chloe Kim here.
Photo courtesy of Brett Wilhelm/ESPN
