OSLO, Norway (Feb. 13, 2016) – It was double gold for the United States at the Youth Olympic Games halfpipe snowboarding event, with both Chloe Kim (La Palma, CA) and Jake Pates (Eagle, CO) topping the field to take home their first YOG gold medals.
Kim, at just 15 years old and riding on the U.S. Snowboarding Pro Team, has been dominating women’s competitive halfpipe competition as of late. She’s fresh off an historic performance at the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix in Park City, UT, where she became the first woman to land back-to-back 1080s and was rewarded a perfect 100 score for the feat. This year she also won her second-consecutive X Games gold medal.
Emily Arthur of Australia (left), Chloe Kim and Jeong Yu-rim of Korea pose on the medal podium following the halfpipe Finals at the Youth Olympic Winter Games, Sunday. (YIS/IOC-Jon Buckle)
Kim thanked her parents after receiving her YOG medal. “I couldn’t be here without my parents. I feel like my mom was scared when she first sent me off to the mountain,” said Kim. “She was like, ‘What am I getting my baby into?’ But my dad was always the one who was steering me in the right direction.”
Chloe Kim rocks the snowboard halfpipe finals at the Winter Youth Olympic Games Sunday. (YIS/IOC-Jon Buckle)
Pates is a 17-year-old U.S. Snowboarding Rookie Team member from Colorado who has been making waves on the competitive circuit as of late. He scored a handful of podiums on the Revolution Tour in 2014 and 2015, including three wins. Now a regular top-10 finisher at major competitions, Pates has tricks to match any of the top-name pros. His win at the YOG could be the springboard he needs to break onto the podium at elite events around the globe.
“That was amazing,” said Pates. “I had the safety of the podium so I just dropped in and did a few slashes. I had a lot of fun with it. Now I’m gonna get my carbo load on and maybe go to the gym. I’m so excited to be an Olympic champion.”
Nik Baden (Steamboat Springs, CO) showed his all-around skills in Oslo, scoring silver in halfpipe behind teammate Pates. Baden, 17 and a member of the U.S. Snowboarding Pro Team, was invited to compete in slopestyle at X Games Aspen 2015, where he scored the top American finish in eighth. He narrowly missed the Sochi Olympic team at the age of 16.
Hailey Langland (San Clemente, CA) also dropped into the halfpipe competition at the YOG, placing ninth. Langland is fresh off a bronze-medal performance at her rookie X Games appearance in Aspen. Langland, who also placed third at the Breckenridge Dew Tour in December, should fare well in the slopestyle competition later this week.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Chloe Kim won for the ladies. Her best run scored a 96.50 and included a McTwist and a frontside 720.
- Jake Pates won for the men. His best run scored a 93.00.
- Nik Baden was second. His best run scored an 85.25.
- Hailey Langland was ninth. Her best run scored a 56.00.
- The International Olympic Committee’s Youth Olympic Winter Games offers a competitive venue for young athletes to not only compete, but also participate in a Learn & Share program designed to inspire and empower youth.
QUOTES
Chloe Kim
I couldn’t be here without my parents. I feel like my mom was scared when she first sent me off to the mountain. She was like, ‘What am I getting my baby into?’ But my dad was always the one who was steering me in the right direction.
Jake Pates
That was amazing. I had the safety of the podium so I just dropped in and did a few slashes. I had a lot of fun with it. Now I’m gonna get my carbo load on and maybe go to the gym. I’m so excited to be an Olympic champion.
RESULTS
Men’s halfpipe
Women’s halfpipe
