Chloe Kim, one of the favorites to top the podium at the Winter Olympics in Milan this month, will face an additional hurdle in her quest for gold after suffering a shoulder injury during a training run in early January.
Kim, who already won back-to-back gold medals in snowboard halfpipe in 2018 and 2022, will have to overcome a labral tear if she hopes to win her third consecutive gold medal later this month. Kim suffered the injury during a fall while training in Switzerland ahead of the games. She noted that the labral tear could have been more severe, but even so, the injury is hampering her ability to practice as she normally would in the lead up to the Olympics.
“There are two ways to [injure] it, and the way I did it is less severe than the other, so I’m really happy about that,” Kim said. “Obviously, I’m really disappointed that I can’t snowboard until right before the Olympics, which is going to be hard. I haven’t gotten nearly the amount of reps that I would have liked, but that’s OK.”
As you can see in the video below, Kim loses her balance as she starts to ascend the right side of the half pipe. She falls forward into the incline, onto her outstretched arms. Using her arms helped to protect her face, but it amplified the stress on her shoulders, leading to the labral tear.
The labrum is a ring of fibrous cartilage that stabilizes the shoulder joint and acts as an attachment point for ligaments and the biceps tendon. When damaged, the labrum struggles to hold the humeral ball in the shoulder socket, meaning Kim is currently at a heightened risk of dislocation. She should be able to regain enough strength to prevent a dislocation when torquing her body while she’s performing moves in the air, but even a minor fall in the wrong direction could jolt the shoulder and damage the labrum or dislocate the shoulder.
Even if she can stay upright throughout the competition, it’s clear that the injury is hampering her ability to train ahead of the games. Even though she’s considered the favorite to win gold, she still needs time to practice her routine and ensure she is comfortable with each complex maneuver, twist and flip. When every move needs to be performed with precision accuracy, it’s clear that Kim is at a disadvantage because her training routine has been disrupted by this shoulder injury.
She’s clearly one of the best snowboarders at the Olympics, so a fall would be pretty unexpected, but anything can happen when the world’s greatest athletes are competing for the gold. We’ll keep an eye on Kim’s shoulder as she begins her quest for the historic three-peat when the qualifying round of the women’s Olympic halfpipe kicks off on February 11. We wish her and the rest of the members of Team USA a wonderful and injury-free time at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
If you need help overcoming a shoulder injury of your own in the greater Knoxville area, connect with Dr. Holloway and his team today at (865) 410-7887.
