Entertainment
Chloe Kim's Instagrams Show What It's REALLY Like To Be Backstage At The Opening Ceremony
It's time for Chloe Kim to shine. Before she officially hits the slopes in PyeongChang, Chloe Kim is at the 2018 Olympic Opening Ceremony alongside her fellow American athletes. And if you want a peek at the action, you just have to check out Kim's Instagram to see all the fun the talented snowboarder is having at her first Olympic games.
Before the ceremony officially began, Kim was giving a behind-the-scenes look of Team USA lining up for the procession on her IG stories. With 242 athletes, the United States has the largest delegation ever "for any country at any Winter Games," according to the New York Times. In her post, Kim showed just how big the team really is by panning the room before she and her fellow Team USA athletes walked out to Psy's "Gangnam Style."
Kim also posted shots of her teammates, snowboarder Arielle T. Gold, Jake Pates, Chase Josey, and Dave Quammen, who is an athletic trainer for the skiers and snowboarders, getting the sillies out before entering the South Korean stadium. Kim also couldn't help posting a photo of Team USA's feet in their brown with red laces boots from Ralph Lauren, who designed Team USA's uniforms. "Matchy matchy," she wrote of the team's coordinated look.
While she was just one of the team at the opening ceremony, Kim is planning to stand out during the games, where she'll be competing in the halfpipe competition. Kim, who told NBC she wants to go to college and become a vet after being a pro-snowboarder, could become the youngest female snowboarder to win gold, according to Mic.
And U.S. halfpipe coach Ricky Bower sounds confident Kim could do it. "She rides with a tremendous amount of amplitude and carries a lot more speed than any other female in the halfpipe," Bower told E! Online. "She’s in a whole different league. There’s really no one that can ride like that."
Based on all the accolades the teen has already received, it's hard to argue with him. Kim was the youngest American Winter X Games gold medalist ever when she was 14. She lost the "youngest ever" title to Kelly Sildaru in 20187, but she's still the first person younger than 16 to win three gold medals at the X Games. She's also the first X Games athlete to win four golds before turning 18.
If all that wasn't enough to make you a believer, Kim's the first female snowboarder to land a 1080 — a triple spin — in a competition. Oh, and she actually landed two, back-to-back at the 2016 U.S. Grand Prix, which earned her a perfect score.
Kim — who started snowboarding when she was four years old — actually qualified for the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, but was too young to compete. But, it feels right that the Korean-American, who grew up in California, is making her Olympic debut in PyeongChang. (You can see her take the slopes on Feb. 11 for the qualifying round. If she makes it, she'll compete in the finals the following night.) "It would be meaningful if I can get a gold medal in my parents' country," Kim told the South Korean press last year while being interviewed by ESPN. (She actually said it in Korean, BTW.)
The United States is certainly rooting Kim on and fans can get a little more insight into the athlete Olympic experience by checking out her Snapchat and Instagram. (Her username is chloekimsnow.) Clearly, Kim's got some stories to tell about her first trip to PyeongChang and her social media is likely the first place she'll turn to if she wins a gold medal.