American Chloe Kim defended her title in the halfpipe discipline in the women’s snowboard tournament at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
The 21-year-old Chloe Kim dominated the race and won nearly four points ahead of the second Queralt Castellet of Spain. The American received 94.00 points in the first run.
“I was so proud of myself. I had the worst training before. The girls are progressing so fast. I find it inspiring that everyone is progressing in the sport. It is a great honor to be a part of this sport and to help develop the halfpipe for women”, said Chloe Kim.
The American fell in her next two run, but the high score in the first descent secured her gold.
The oldest competitor in the final, Queralt Castellet, was the only other runner-up to reach 90 points after scoring 90.25 in the second run. The 32-year-old Spaniard finally managed to win an Olympic medal in her fifth attempt.
“At my first Olympics, I was 16 years old. I was far from even thinking that the podium was possible. I had a dream and my dream was to be on the podium. I am very happy that this happened today, 16 years later”, said Queralt Castellet.
Japanese snowboarder Sena Tomita took the bronze with 88.25 points. She becomes the first Japanese woman to win an Olympic medal in the halfpipe. Her younger sister Ruki Tomita was fifth.
Two-time world champion Cai Xuetong from China finished fourth, and silver medalist from PyeongChang 2018 Liu Jiayu (China) fell in the first two runs and finished eighth with 73.50 points.
Women’s Snowboard halfpipe:
1. Chloe Kim (USA) – 94.00 points
2. Queralt Castellet (Spain) – 90.25 points
3. Sena Tomita (Japan) – 88.25 points
