Chloe Kim, who stood atop the podium on Saturday at the Winter X Games, is the youngest gold medalist in the history of the competition, . The 14-year-old beat out Kelly Clark at the Women’s Snowboard SuperPipe, fearlessly executing a switch-backside 720 into a McTwist then into a frontside 900 at the arena in Aspen, Colorado.
“I just can’t believe it,” she after being given her medal. “It’s amazing.”
The win was not the first time Kim had broken an age barrier. As ϳԹ wrote last month, the La Palma, California, native became the youngest World Snowboard Tour overall champion ever in 2014. She was also the youngest medal-winner ever at the 2014 X Games, finishing just 0.67 points behind four-time defending champion Kelly Clark to win a silver medal at the Buttermilk Mountain SuperPipe.
“Chloe has a great attitude and a pretty strong mental game. She’s a great competitor,” coach Benjamin Wisner, who trains with Kim in Mammoth, California, told ABC News. “She can relax even in nervous situations.”
Kim, who first got on a snowboard at age four, suffered a minor crash during a pre-competition practice, and sported a small mark and bandage on her face when she accepted her medal.
“Chloe showed tremendous resiliency after a hard fall in practice, coming back with the focus and determination to put down a gold medal run,” X Games vice president Tim Reed told ABC News. “Quite an accomplishment for a 14-year-old—and anyone for that matter.”