American snowboard star Chloe Kim says shoulder injury won’t stop three-peat Olympic gold bid
American snowboarder Chloe Kim shared an optimistic update on her status for the Milan Cortina Olympics.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist said she’s "good to go" for the competition despite dealing with the effects of a torn labrum in her shoulder. Kim sustained the injury during a recent training run in Switzerland.
The 2026 Games are scheduled to begin in less than a month, giving Kim a short window to recover and pursue her third consecutive gold medal in the halfpipe. Kim won gold in 2018 in Pyeongchang and again in 2022 in Beijing.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
In an update posted to Instagram Tuesday, Kim said she wasn’t surprised to learn she had torn her labrum, the lining of the socket that holds the shoulder together. She did not specify which shoulder was injured when she fell while preparing for the upcoming Laax Open.
"There are two ways to do it, and the way I did it is less severe than the other, so I’m really happy about that," she said. "Obviously, I’m really disappointed that I can’t snowboard until right before the Olympics, which is going to be hard. I haven’t gotten nearly the amount of reps that I would have liked, but that’s OK."
LINDSEY VONN, 41, CONTINUES REMARKABLE COMEBACK WITH WORLD CUP DOWNHILL WIN AHEAD OF OLYMPICS
The women’s Olympic halfpipe contest begins Feb. 11.
The 25-year-old Kim, who has already qualified for the U.S. team, would be the heavy favorite to win in Italy if she’s healthy. She said she won’t compete this weekend in Laax. She didn’t mention the Winter X Games in Aspen later this month, which are the last big contest before the Olympics.
Kim has participated in only one competition this season — last month in Copper Mountain — and while warming up for the final there, she sustained a shoulder injury.
Last week, she posted video of her fall in Switzerland, which showed her skittering across the halfpipe after losing her bearings on the landing of a jump. At that time, she said she dislocated the shoulder and wasn’t in much pain. An MRI from last Friday revealed the labrum tear.
In her video, Kim said she’ll have to wear a "super-sexy shoulder brace" that is uncomfortable.
"I went through a bunch of different waves of emotions, but, honestly, I’m really excited for this week," she said.
The end of the video flashed to her picking up her boyfriend, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, at a train station. Earlier this month, Garrett broke the NFL's all-time single-season sack record when he tackled quarterback Joe Burrow in Week 18.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.