Olympic Athlete Chloe Kim Taking Break from Snowboarding for Her Mental Health: A 'Reset'

The snowboarder said she is taking the time to "enjoy this moment" after her Beijing Olympics win

By

Published on April 26, 2022 12:34 PM

Chloe Kim is prioritizing her mental health and taking a break from competition.

The Olympic snowboarder, 22, said that while she "definitely" plans on being on the Team USA roster for the 2026 Winter Games in Italy, she will be taking a full season off from competition, now.

"Just for my mental health," she told Cheddar News when discussing her decision to step back for 2022-2023. "[I] just want to kind of reset, don't want to get right back into it after such a fun, but draining year, at the same time, knowing that it was an Olympic year."

Continued Kim, "I just want to enjoy this moment, take it all in and then get back to it when I'm feeling ready, but as of now the plan is most definitely to go after a third medal."

This is not the first time the two-time champion has prioritized time away from the slopes. She also took a full season off after the 2018 Games to focus on her studies at Princeton University and her mental health, according to CNN.

Chloe Kim competes in run 3 of the women's snowboard halfpipe final event at the Phoenix Park during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games — MARTIN BUREAU/AFP via Getty Images

Kim spoke to PEOPLE earlier this month and shared her feelings about being a trailblazing snowboarder as the first Korean American medalist in a sport dominated mostly by white athletes.

She said the experience of being first can sometimes make her feel "a little alienated."

"But honestly, I think in the past few years just being more outspoken about my experiences has opened everyone's eyes, especially around me," Kim told PEOPLE.

"Being the person to make some change happen is really important to me, so being able to achieve that in some ways feels good," she continued.

Kim won her first gold medal in halfpipe at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics at the age of 17.

Earlier this year in Beijing, Kim again shocked the world by defending her title and securing first place in the women's halfpipe for a second consecutive Games.