Chloe Kim has laid down the gauntlet.
The reigning world champion in the women’s halfpipe snowboard competition got her 2026 Winter Olympics underway in the qualifying rounds on Wednesday in Italy. And she showed up.
On Kim’s first qualifying run, she scored a 90.25. That’s the most any competitor scored throughout the qualifying stages.
It sets Kim up to go for a gold medal on Thursday.
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She’s competing with a shoulder injury, but she expressed optimism beforehand that it wouldn’t hinder her, and evidently that appears to be the case.
You can watch the whole run here:
Two-time Gold medalist Chloe Kim WOWS with a huge first run in halfpipe qualifying. 😮💨🇺🇸
📺 Peacock | #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/x9sIIICdEg
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 11, 2026
She was the final snowboarder to take to the halfpipe in the first qualifying round, and she did that. It certainly puts the rest of the field on notice.
The third-best score put up in either qualifying round came from another American, Maddie Mastro. She had an 86.00 in her second run.
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When does Chloe Kim compete for gold medal?
The women’s halfpipe final takes place Thursday, Feb. 12.
It is scheduled to get underway at 1:30 p.m. ET in the United States (7:30 p.m. local time in Italy).
