USA snowboarder Chloe Kim has revealed that she has suffered a devastating shoulder injury just weeks out from the start of the Winter Games.
Kim, 25, revealed on Thursday that she had taken a nasty fall during her training and, as a result, suffered a dislocated shoulder in a brutal blow to her Olympic dreams.
The two-time gold medalist posted a video of the incident – which showed her taking a tumble on the slopes – along with a video message to her followers on Instagram.
Kim said: ‘I hate that I have to make this video. I’ve been here for a couple days, I’m currently in Switzerland and on my second day training I took the silliest fall.
‘And that ultimately resulted in me dislocating my shoulder. Just so fun. Trying to stay really optimistic. I don’t have much clarity because I haven’t had an MRI yet.
‘So, anyways, I should have a better idea of what’s going on tomorrow. I am not in that much pain. Obviously I just don’t want it to keep popping out. So just trying to stay really optimistic. I feel good about where my snowboarding is at right now’.
US snowboarder Chloe Kim has revealed that she has suffered a devastating shoulder injury
The 25-year-old shared a video of the nasty fall that lead to her dislocating her shoulder
In her video of the incident, Kim was practicing her skills on a half-pipe when she fell forward and crashed into the floor, before sliding along the floor.
The caption to her post read: ‘trying to stay positive through these moments so difficult. I have gone through so many waves of emotions I literally have a migraine.
‘The only thing I can do is rest/do everything in my power to come back as soon as possible. thank you all for supporting me on this wild journey! will keep you posted 🙂 p.s I think I am getting old’.
The Winter Olympic Games – which will be held in Milano Cortina, Italy this year – begins on February 6th. It remains to be seen whether Kim will recover in time.
It comes as a crushing blow for the 25-year-old, who previously dislocated her shoulder during a World Cup event in Colorado back in December.
Should Kim be unavailable for the Olympics, it would be a major blow for both the USA and the Winter Games themselves, given how big a name she is in the sport.
Kim, who is dating Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, rose to fame at the 2018 Olympics in her parents’ home country of South Korea.
At the age of 17, the USA snowboarder won gold in the halfpipe event that year, before repeating the achievement in Beijing in 2022.
Kim rose to fame at the 2018 Olympics in her parents’ home country of South Korea
At the age of 17, the USA snowboarder won gold in the halfpipe event in 2018, before repeating the achievement in Beijing in 2022
After months of speculation, Myles Garrett and Kim confirmed their relationship in November
Meanwhile, her relationship with NFL star Garrett was confirmed back in November, after they shared a kiss on the sidelines before the Browns beat the Raiders.
The heartwarming footage was shared on Instagram by Garrett’s team, with the Browns joking that Kim’s influence has helped him hit a new level on the field this season.
‘Myles playing on a whole other level since Chloe Kim been around, just saying,’ they wrote.
In the footage itself, the 29-year-old Garrett stands by Kim for a picture together, with the 25-year-old Olympian joking: ‘I got makeup on your jersey!’
‘I can’t believe you,’ said Garrett with a laugh, before they share a kiss and she wishes him good luck. ‘Thank you love,’ he added.