Olympic champions Chloe Kim and Red Gerard living the teenage dream
Pair of 17-year-old Americans put snowboard world on notice in Pyeongchang
By Amy Cleveland, CBC Sports
At the Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, the kids are proving they're alright.
American teens Chloe Kim and Red Gerard showed up their older snowboard counterparts, but they're still just a pair of 17-year-olds bringing a relatable nonchalance to the world's biggest sporting event.
Kim, of Torrance, Calif., was absolutely dominant in halfpipe en route to becoming the youngest woman to capture Olympic snowboard gold — and she did it while fighting off hunger, and cravings for ice cream.
Winning the hearts of fans online, Kim's Twitter fingers were busy documenting her culinary adventures (and misadventures) between runs.
Could be down for some ice cream rn
—@chloekimsnowyes...
—@chloekimsnowAfter her ice cream tweet, she went on to post a score of 95.50 in her qualification run on Sunday. Food remained on her mind on Tuesday while competing for gold as she lamented not finishing her breakfast sandwich.
Wish I finished my breakfast sandwich but my stubborn self decided not to and now I'm getting hangry
—@chloekimsnowShe went on to post a gold-clinching first-run score of 93.75 before putting an exclamation mark on her victory with a final-run score of 98.25. You know, just an average few days of work for a teenager.
Video | Chloe Kim's winning run:
[VIDEO src="50322"]
And adding a solid-gold "dad move" to the mix, her father was present for it all — with a laminated sign, no less. Jong Jin is a South Korean immigrant, which undoubtedly made Kim's medal moment a little more special.
jong jin kim cheering on his daughter.<br><br>the korean-american dream, y’all 🇰🇷🇰🇷 <a href="https://t.co/8czhPTKcS0">pic.twitter.com/8czhPTKcS0</a>
—@iamjoonleeBetter late than never
On Sunday, Gerard's slopestyle gold medal was an alarm-clock mishap away from not happening.
The Silverthorne, Colo., native, who now has the distinction of being the first Winter Olympics gold medallist born in the 2000s, reportedly fell asleep the night before while watching Netflix.
Gerard was dragged out of bed by his roommate after sleeping through his alarm. Luckily, he scrambled to the venue donning a borrowed jacket and put down a final-run score of 87.16.
[VIDEO src="49059"]
Gerard later revealed that while he was en route, his family sent him a Snapchat of them shotgunning beers ahead of his big moment.
Red Gerard said he got a Snapchat this morning around 8:30 a.m. from his group of 17 people that is in Pyeongchang, South Korea to support him for the Games: "They were all shotgunning beers on the way to the mountains." <a href="https://t.co/JORk5m3pH5">pic.twitter.com/JORk5m3pH5</a>
—@usatodaysportsAs one might expect, he was clearly overwhelmed by the whole experience.