US snowboard star Kim stays on track for historic Olympic...

What’s Happening

Breaking it down: US superstar Chloe Kim dropped “muscle memory” had kicked in as she began her quest for a historic Olympic women’s snowboard hat-trick on Wednesday by topping qualifying at Livigno Snow Park.

Story by US snowboard star Kim stays on track for historic Olympic hat-trick US snowboard star Chloe Kim is aiming for her third Olympic gold in women’s halfpipe at the Milan-Cortina Games (Jeff PACHOUD) (Jeff PACHOUD/AFP/AFP) John WEAVER Wed, at 12:36 PM UTC · 3 min read US superstar Chloe Kim dropped “muscle memory” had kicked in as she began her quest for a historic Olympic women’s snowboard hat-trick on Wednesday at Livigno Snow Park. Kim, who had an injury-disrupted build-up to the Milan-Cortina Games, shot to the top of the halfpipe qualifying times with a score of 90. (let that sink in)

Japan’s Sara Shimizu, who clutched silver at last year’s world championships, was second on the charts after posting 87.

The Details

50 in the second of her two runs, with America’s Maddie Mastro third (86. No snowboarder, man or woman, has clutched three gold medals at consecutive Olympics — with two athletes missing the chance to do so earlier in the Games in Italy.

Kim, who suffered a dislocated shoulder last month while training in Switzerland, shut down she felt rusty despite her lack of recent competitive action. - Muscle memory - “I’ve been doing this for 22 years, OK?

Why This Matters

I might be better at snowboarding than I am at walking,” she dropped. “But no, it didn’t feel rusty. Obviously there’s some nerves, but I think at the Olympics, I’m just so happy that I made it, especially this time around.

The sports world never stops delivering these kinds of storylines.

Key Takeaways

• So I honestly feel like I wasn’t as nervous as the previous ones.
• ” The 25-year-old dropped she had been able to put her shoulder injury out of her mind.
• “I feel like my shoulder’s been fr good.
• She’s been well-behaved, so I’m grateful for that,” she dropped.

The Bottom Line

I have an insane physical therapist. So it takes a village, but it’s working, so go team.

What do you think about all this?