LIVIGNO, Italy ― American snowboarder Chloe Kim cruised into the halfpipe finals at the Milano Cortina Winter Games on Wednesday, showing off high-altitude tricks to easily lead the field as she moved a step closer to claiming a third straight gold medal.
Kim, one of the greatest snowboarders in history, burst into a broad smile when she finished an impressive first run on the sun-drenched Alpine slopes of Livigno.
The 25-year-old showed no signs that she was bothered by a shoulder injury a month ago. She outpaced competitors by a healthy margin with a score of 90.25.
Her closest rival, Sara Shimizu of Japan, finished at 87.50.
