Chloe Kim sets retirement plan before making Olympic snowboarding history in Milan

Before becoming the first woman to medal in three straight Olympic halfpipe events, Chloe Kim had already set her sights on retirement. The 25-year-old star athlete shared in a recent interview with Sports Illustrated that she has privately chosen the date she plans to step away from competitive snowboarding. Kim won Olympic gold at 17 in PyeongChang in 2018 and repeated in Beijing in 2022 before earning silver at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.

Kim, who dislocated her left shoulder during training in Switzerland about a month before the Milan-Cortina Games, said she began thinking seriously about retirement in recent years as she evaluated how long she wanted to compete at the highest level.

“I am 25 right now,” she said. “I’d love to start a family. My mom had me when she was young. I’d love to be a young mom. My dad’s 70 right now. There’s so much time, but also not enough time.” The decision, the athlete noted, is not open to reconsideration: “Once I set my mind to something, then that’s that, and that’s how it’s gonna be.”

Should Kim follow through on her decision, Choi Gaon’s gold medal in Milan-Cortina positions the 17-year-old South Korean champion as the leading figure in Olympic halfpipe heading into the next Games.

Choi has risen through the international halfpipe circuit over the past two seasons, recording podium finishes at FIS Snowboard World Cup events and securing multiple victories before arriving in Italy. She entered the Milan Games as one of the top-ranked riders in the field and capped her Olympic debut with a gold medal performance.

Speaking after the final in Milan, Kim reflected on Choi’s performance and her own place in the sport. “Although we are in an individual sport, it means so much to me to know that I’ve inspired a whole new generation. I’m aware that I can’t do this forever and I think seeing that this sport is left in very good hands,” Kim said. “She’s (Choi) talented, but she works hard and I think that’s why she is as amazing as she is today. I couldn’t be more proud of her and I’m so happy for her and I hope that she really just soaks in this amazing moment.”