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Chloe Kim is pausing for a moment. The 25-year-old revealed that she sustained a shoulder injury a month before the 2026 Winter Olympics.
"I'm currently in Switzerland," the professional snowboarder stated in an Instagram video posted on January 8. "And on my second day of training, I took this silliest fall, and that ultimately resulted in me dislocating my shoulder."
"Which is so fun," the two-time gold medalist said. "Trying to stay really optimistic, I think. I don't have much clarity right now, because I haven't gotten an MRI yet."
Chloe documented her injury sustained while boarding down a snowy halfpipe, highlighting the moment just before her fall when she wiped out and slid on the cap. While she recognized that she had injured herself during the incident, Chloe expressed uncertainty about the severity of the injury. She shared her optimism, stating, "I should have a better idea of what’s going on tomorrow," emphasizing that despite her injury, she has a good range of movement and minimal pain. However, she voiced her concerns over the potential recurring dislocations that have previously troubled her.
As an athlete aspiring to achieve a three-peat gold medal victory in the halfpipe competition, the thought of possibly having to withdraw from the upcoming games in February made her emotional, leading to tears. Chloe is endeavoring to maintain a hopeful outlook towards her recovery, saying, "Just trying to stay really optimistic," while also expressing confidence in her current snowboarding skills. She remains hopeful that once she receives medical clearance, she will be able to resume her activities quickly, wishing for an expedited recovery process.
Indeed, while the history-making athlete remains optimistic, she admitted that the prospect of not competing is taking an emotional toll on her.
She captioned the video, "Trying to stay positive through these moments [but it's] so difficult." "I literally have a migraine from the waves of emotions I've experienced. The only thing I can do is rest and do everything I can to recover as soon as possible. Thank you for your support throughout this wild journey! I will keep you posted. :) p.s. I think I'm getting older."
Ahead of the competition, Chloe—who competed in the Olympics in 2018 and 2022, respectively—said that returning to snowboarding after a year-long mental health break helped her rethink her relationship with the sport.
“At that point in my life, snowboarding felt like a really long relationship,” Chloe told Women’s Health in an interview published Jan. 8. “The good days were really good, and the bad days were really bad.”
“I wanted to create new memories for myself as an adult, where I got to make my own decisions and I got to do it the way I wanted,” she continued. “That’s how I want to remember something that’s been such a formative thing in my life.”
