Kim Looks To Beijing With A Fresh Perspective
Chloe Kim was tossed into the throes of fame at 17 years old when she won her first Olympic Gold medal in Pyeongchang. Her coming of age as an adult came simultaneously with a peak achievement of her career. Not unlike any other child star, Kim became acutely aware of her environment, questioning who she was as an athlete, and who she was as a person. Feeling stifled by speculation, Kim took a step back from snowboarding to explore her identity. She even thought about retiring.
Yet amid her freshman year of college, COVID-19's isolating effects, a rise of Asian hate, and weeding out trolls on social media, Kim learned more about her capacity to adapt and overcome. Her return to competition in January of 2020 came with a fresh perspective, one that will propel her into the chaos of yet another Olympic season.
“I started to get numb to it, and that’s a problem, right?” Kim told NY Times reporter, John Branch, of her negative experiences. “I’ve recently started to realize that it’s not something that I should have ever had to get used to. It shouldn’t happen.”
