Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim shares emotional message of family’s ‘sacrifice’ alongside precious throwback childhood photos

She captioned the post: “I can’t believe I’ve arrived in Milan to represent my country at the Olympic Games for the third time. If you told little me that, she wouldn’t believe you. This one feels especially meaningful for so many reasons.”

The athlete went on to reveal the deep gratitude that she has for her family. Chloe expressed: “My parents left South Korea in search of a better future for their family. They left behind everything they knew so that my sisters and I could have the chance to one day live the American dream. Their sacrifice is one I will never take for granted.”

As she competes for gold once again, her greatest inspiration will be her parents, without whom her dream would have never been possible if they hadn’t made the big move overseas.

Chloe added: “So when I stand at the top of the halfpipe, competing on the biggest stage in sport, I do so with immense pride. I am representing my country but I am also representing those who took a leap of faith, who came to this beautiful nation carrying hopes, dreams, and courage.”

She concluded: “I am proud of my heritage. I am proud of my journey. And I am proud to represent a country that is strongest when it embraces diversity, dignity, and hope. GO TEAM USA!!”

This isn’t the first time that Chloe has publicly thanked her parents. She previously told People: “My parents, as I’m pretty sure the world knows, are so important. My upbringing and giving me a sense of who I am — they were the most amazing supportive parents…I think all parents want the best for their kids and my parents want that for me too.”

Chloe began snowboarding at the age of four and she started professionally competing two years later. She fell in love with the sport, therefore, she trained rigorously in Geneva, Switzerland and then at Mammoth Mountain in California.

Her father was dedicated as well to her dreams, therefore, he quit his job to be able to travel to tournaments with Chloe, and they always brought along containers of miyeok-guk that her mother would make for them.

In 2013, she officially joined the United States Snowboarding Team. In 2016, she went on to make history by being the first woman who successfully performed back-to-back 1080 spins.

She earned gold medals at the 2018 Winter Olympics and at the 2022 Winter Olympics. In 2024 she made history again by becoming the first woman to complete a 1260.