Chloe Kim and Shaun White are beginning their quest to defend their gold medals with qualifying rounds in Zhangjiakou, China.
Snowboarding’s halfpipe competition has begun at the Beijing Winter Olympics. In a sport where a bad run can knock athletes out of contention, and a bad fall can do far worse, every run matters, even in the qualifying round.
Chloe Kim, the defending gold medalist from the United States, delivered as needed on Wednesday. She scored a 87.75 in her first of two runs, guaranteeing her a spot in Thursday’s final. The men’s qualifying runs begin Wednesday afternoon (Tuesday night in the United States), with all eyes on Shaun White, who is competing in his last Olympic Games.
