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U.S. Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim broke up with her boyfriend of a year and a half just before the 2018 Winter Games. Although the two were together for quite some time, Kim decided that it was best to end their relationship because it was causing her some unnecessary stress ahead of her trip to PyeongChang, South Korea.
“I was hearing a lot of rumors about him, and our relationship in general. And I’m just at a time where I didn’t really want to worry about that. So I just broke it off,” Kim told Sports Illustrated.
Kim was dating a fellow snowboarded, but preferred to keep his name private. When asked if her decision to breakup with him was a “business decision,” Kim responded, “Pretty much. That sounds kind of harsh, but it’s true.” Kim was determined to focus solely on her Olympics debut, and refused to let anyone interfere with her goals — she is going for gold.
Despite breaking things off with her beau before the biggest snowboarding competition of her life, Kim doesn’t think that there are any hard feelings between the two. It sounds like their split was amicable.
“We’re still good friends, though. At least I’d like to think so,” she told Sports Illustrated.
She does, however, have a celebrity crush, and she’s not afraid to talk about it. Who might that be? Cole Sprouse, an actor known for his role on Disney Channel’s, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. She thinks “he’s a babe.”
The 17-year-old La Palma, California, resident is already making a name for herself, and she hasn’t even hit the slopes in South Korea yet. The Mammoth High School student has a fairly impressive resume, however, and is bringing her A-game to PyeongChang. She has been defined as a “fierce competitor” and is a favorite to medal.
Kim has been called the female Shaun White, which is quite the compliment, given his incredible success over the course of his career. And don’t think that she hasn’t been on White’s radar.
“She definitely reminds me of myself. But it’s not about one big trick, it’s about the way she connects the whole run. She does what I strived for: big air at the top, gnarly tricks in the middle, finish it great. I love watching her ride,” White told Sports Illustrated.
Last February, White talked about Kim and mentioned how he felt when she posted the highest score in qualifying in a halfpipe competition a few years prior. At the time, Kim was just 12 or 13 years old.
“It was this huge upset, and everyone thought she was from another country. We’re like, oh, is she like a Korean rider? They’re like, no, her name’s Chloe. Since then, obviously she’s been living up to her hype and winning events,” White told NBC Sports.
Kim might not have the support of a boyfriend cheering her on as she competes in her very first Olympics, but her parents and her family, many of whom live in South Korea, are her biggest fans.
“It would be meaningful if I can get a gold medal in my parents’ country,” Kim told the press.