The U. S. women made a statement in the halfpipe, grabbing gold and bronze to add to America’s dominance in snowboarding.
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — American women in the snowboard halfpipe made a statement Tuesday as Chloe Kim dominated the competition to win gold and Arielle Gold came back from a fall to take bronze.
Kim’s medal was the 99th gold for the U. S. Olympic team in Winter Games history. The U. S. women halfpipe riders have won two medals at each of the last four Olympics. And they’ve now claimed a remarkable 10 of 18 medals in the event since snowboarding made its Olympic debut in 1998.
That Kim was the overwhelming favorite at age 17 and came out in her first run so dominant was the big story of the day. But Gold has overcome struggles to get here. She qualified for the 2014 Sochi Olympics team but dislocated her shoulder while training before the Games and was unable to compete.
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The U. S. team has six medals overall, including three gold in snowboarding. In total medals, the Americans rank fifth. Norway leads the way with nine medals and Canada, Netherlands, Germany each have seven.
