{"id":233561,"date":"2026-01-08T04:13:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T04:13:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/233561\/"},"modified":"2026-01-08T04:13:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T04:13:13","slug":"chloe-kim-on-mental-health-and-the-2026-olympics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/233561\/","title":{"rendered":"Chloe Kim On Mental Health And The 2026 Olympics"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"colored<\/p>\n

When Chloe Kim bought her Los Angeles home in 2021, she found herself with an unused, and sun-drenched, spare room. She considered converting the space\u2014adjacent to the dining area\u2014into a gym but ultimately decided staring at a treadmill over the Thanksgiving turkey wouldn\u2019t be the most aesthetic choice. <\/p>\n

Instead, it became what Chloe calls her \u201czen room\u201d\u2014a \u201clittle jungle\u201d stuffed with a rubber tree, fiddle leaf figs, a basil plant, and rare monstera varietals, including an albo, a mint, and a Thai constellation. (If you\u2019ve ever tried\u2014and failed\u2014to keep one of those plants alive, you know what a serious green thumb Chloe must have.) With the addition of cozy furnishings, like a fuzzy boucl\u00e9 couch and buttery Barefoot Dreams blankets, her zen room has become the perfect oasis. <\/p>\n

\"loading\"chloe<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you don\u2019t see me in the house, I\u2019m probably taking a nap in that room, with the door fully open and the breeze coming in,\u201d says the 25-year-old.<\/p>\n

The zen room isn\u2019t simply a space in Chloe\u2019s home; it\u2019s emblematic of a profound pivot she\u2019s made to prioritize her mental and emotional well-being, after the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing left her feeling depleted and contemplating leaving the sport. \u201cAt that point in my life, snowboarding felt like a really long relationship,\u201d she says, likening it to a hot-and-cold boyfriend. \u201cThe good days were really good, and the bad days were really bad.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"aJustin Steele<\/p>\n

Perfect Moment suit and headband, Moncler Grenoble x Moon Boot boots, Chloe\u2019s own earrings.<\/p>\n

But instead of breaking up and going no-contact with snowboarding, Chloe resolved to stick it out so she could retire on a high note\u2014rather than with regrets or resentments. \u201cI wanted to create new memories for myself as an adult, where I got to make my own decisions and I got to do it the way I wanted,\u201d she says. \u201cThat\u2019s how I want to remember something that\u2019s been such a formative thing in my life.\u201d
<\/p>\n

And so, with the help of therapy, Chloe has been working to establish a healthier relationship with herself and her sport. \u201cThe goal right now,\u201d she says, \u201cis just to love every step of the way.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"chloeJustin Steele<\/p>\n

Moncler eyewear, Chloe\u2019s own earrings.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a Tuesday in November, and Chloe has had a long day. Her call time was 10 a.m., and after posing for her Women\u2019s Health photo shoot (and video shoot) for the better part of six hours, she\u2019s finally ready to sit down for this interview. Back in her street clothes\u2014a red hoodie, a black puffer coat, and jeans, with her long, dark locks cascading down her back\u2014Chloe is remarkably fresh and amiable, given the circumstances. <\/p>\n

Her demeanor off the snow is measured, even serene\u2014the complete antithesis of the ferocity with which she attacks the half-pipe. You could imagine that when her storied snowboarding career comes to an end, she might find a successful second act as a narrator for one of those podcasts that help you fall asleep at night. Her wit is sly too. It would be easy to miss one of her well-placed jokes or turns of phrase if you aren\u2019t paying very close attention. <\/p>\n

When I ask Chloe to tell me her snowboarding origin story, she laughs, then pauses. She\u2019s told and retold the story so many times now, she struggles to remember the actual events vs. the version she\u2019s been relaying to the press for the past dozen or so years. Either way, these are the broad brushstrokes: When Chloe was 4 years old, her dad, an immigrant from South Korea named Jong Jin Kim, wanted to try snowboarding. He took his young daughter along with him to learn at the local ski resort, Mountain High, in the San Gabriel Mountains of Southern California. <\/p>\n

\"quote\"<\/p>\n

\u201cIt became something we did together,\u201d Chloe says. Not long after, she was spotted by the resort\u2019s freestyle snowboarding team coach, who thought she had potential. Jong Jin\u2014a notoriously frugal man, by Chloe\u2019s account\u2014didn\u2019t want to commit without crunching the numbers first. For a $400 team fee, Chloe would get a season pass to the mountain, private coaching, and an outerwear uniform. \u201cIt paid for itself in one weekend,\u201d she says. Jong Jin was sold.
<\/p>\n

Just a year later, Chloe placed in her first local competition, earning a bronze medal. She was 5 years old.
<\/p>\n

By the time his daughter was 7, Jong Jin surmised that Chloe had the talent to become a true competitive force in the sport. For her part, Chloe recalls being somewhat ambivalent toward the idea. I will just do it and see what happens, she thought. Her enjoyment of snowboarding, at least initially, didn\u2019t stem from a competitive place (that would come later) but more from the kinds of motivations in line with the wants and desires of a second grader. <\/p>\n

\u201cI got to spend time with my dad, who was otherwise working when we weren\u2019t on the mountains,\u201d she says. Then there were all the neat tricks she got to learn\u2014and the attention that came with them. \u201cI got so much instant gratification from doing tricks. I felt so cool,\u201d Chloe says. \u201cI really loved when I was so, so small and people were like, \u2018Oh my god, look at how small this kid is, and she\u2019s doing all these tricks!\u2019 I was getting glazed. People were obsessed with me. I was obsessed that people were obsessed with me.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"chloeGetty Images<\/p>\n

Rare Air! Chloe soared to first at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, becoming the youngest woman to win a snowboarding gold medal.<\/p>\n

That prodigy reputation never let up, as Chloe continued to carve her path in the sport. In 2013, she joined the U.S. Snowboarding Team. In 2015, at the age of 14, she became the youngest Winter X Games medalist, winning gold in the superpipe. And in 2018, at 17, she became the youngest woman to win an Olympic snowboarding gold medal, clinching victory in the half-pipe. And that\u2019s only the highlight reel! Chloe\u2019s r\u00e9sum\u00e9 is littered with a dizzying number of wins, records, and firsts.
<\/p>\n

Given the pressure that comes with all that success, it\u2019s understandable why Chloe relished the yearlong break she got from training and competition during the COVID-\u200b19 pandemic. \u201cI was living my best life,\u201d she says. \u201cI was eating all my favorite foods. I spent time with my family and my dog. I\u2019d go on walks. I feel like I healed something in myself at that time, because I got to just be and exist.\u201d<\/p>\n

By the time the 2022 Games rolled around, Chloe weighed about 35 to 40 pounds above her pre-COVID number. With the extra weight, her joints ached and her crashes became that much more painful. She went to a training camp that year and got so injured and bruised, she had to leave early. Chloe still managed to win a gold medal in Beijing, but she wasn\u2019t proud of her performance. She knew she could have done better (she fell on both her second and third runs but scored high enough on her first to win by nearly four points). \u201cI\u2019m a tough critic,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n

\"chloeJustin Steele<\/p>\n

Miu Miu jacket, Nike bra, leggings, socks, and sneakers, Lady Grey necklace, Chloe\u2019s own earrings.<\/p>\n

Feeling out of place in both body and spirit, Chloe knew something needed to change. Half measures weren\u2019t going to get her back to peak performance, so she dialed in to a consistent training regimen with her trainer, Roy Chan. And it\u2019s one she\u2019s stuck with ever since. <\/p>\n

On Mondays, Chloe does a full-body strength-training session, with a slight emphasis on legs and glutes (think lunges, squats, and deadlifts), given the necessities of her sport. On Tuesdays, she\u2019ll do a 3- to 3.5-mile run and a pilates session on the reformer, focusing on abs and arms since her legs are usually toast from lifting weights the day before. Wednesdays are another strength-training day; Thursdays are running and pilates again; Fridays are one more strength-training session. Saturdays are Chloe\u2019s rest day (\u201cI love a bed rot,\u201d she says), and she\u2019ll finish off the week on Sunday with a run and an ab circuit. <\/p>\n

When she\u2019s actively training for a competition, Chloe is strict about her recovery, which amounts to getting plenty of rest and an hour-long (or more) session of deep fascial massage to ease sore spots.
<\/p>\n

To complement her workout regimen, Chloe tightened up her eating plan<\/a>, focusing on more protein-forward<\/a> options. On a training day, she\u2019ll start off with a smoothie, which (if she makes it herself at home) will typically include frozen bananas, peanut butter, almond milk, and protein powder. After training, she\u2019ll have a brunch consisting of soft-scrambled eggs, sourdough toast with avocado, bacon, and hash browns. Instead of coffee, she\u2019ll sip an iced oat milk matcha with a splash of maple syrup. For dinner, she\u2019ll make a protein-dense pesto\u2014utilizing basil leaves from the massive basil plant in her zen room\u2014and fortify it with chicken and Banza chickpea pasta. Snacks throughout the day are usually berries, papaya, and hummus. <\/p>\n

\"athleteGetty Images<\/p>\n

Doubling Down Chloe defended her Olympic title at the 2022 Games in Beijing, taking home another gold medal. <\/p>\n

By getting back into a routine, Chloe lost the pandemic pounds, which undeniably buoyed her performance. After all, in a sport like snowboarding, even a few extra pounds can greatly affect an athlete\u2019s aerodynamics and the amount of pressure on their body when they crash. (Depending on the jump, Chloe could fall from a height of up to 30 feet, by her calculations.)<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt so much better,\u201d she says. \u201cFalls didn\u2019t hurt as bad. I felt really strong too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Next, she focused on her mental fortitude. About a year and a half ago, Chloe started intensive therapy, going two or three times a week. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was in a bad place in my life,\u201d she says of her mindset at the time. \u201cI just felt really lost and stuck in a lot of ways, and it was kind of turning me into somebody that I never wanted to become. The things I had to learn through that phase in my life pushed me toward therapy. I realized that I didn\u2019t want to live like that anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"quote\"<\/p>\n

In therapy<\/a>, Chloe has learned to set boundaries and be empathetic toward herself\u2014embracing a \u201cwise adult self\u201d viewpoint. Despite being well supported by family and friends during childhood, she had an unconventional upbringing. Becoming a household name in her teens and receiving harassing and racist comments online have all left their scars in various ways. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had a lot of intense, traumatizing moments doing this from such a young age, so a lot of the time we\u2019re working on healing from that,\u201d Chloe says. \u201cWhen I was in a bad place, I was so reactive\u2014reacting from a very scared, immature place. I\u2019m still working on it now, but whenever I start getting riled up, I ask myself, Okay, what would my wise adult self do?\u201d
<\/p>\n

That approach has made a real difference for her. Setting boundaries has allowed her to \u201cfind some form of balance and stability, because that\u2019s something I always crave,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd it\u2019s worked out quite beautifully.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"chloeJustin Steele<\/p>\n

Perfect Moment suit, Nike bra, Lady Grey necklace, Chloe\u2019s own earrings.<\/p>\n

With this top-down renewal, Chloe feels excited about the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. At her third Games, she says her goal isn\u2019t necessarily to win or even medal (though she is learning new tricks, which she can\u2019t tell me anything about because they are strictly hush-hush). No, Chloe considers her goal greater than the podium. She\u2019s proud to be representing both young women and the Asian American community at the Olympics, serving as the kind of role model and inspiration that she didn\u2019t necessarily have coming up in the sport. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so honored to be in this position,\u201d she says. It\u2019s also a mission she\u2019s embraced as a cofounder of TOGETHXR, a media and commerce company started by Alex Morgan, which highlights women\u2019s sports. <\/p>\n

\u201cI need to be in the best shape mentally as possible,\u201d Chloe says. \u201cGoing into [the Games], I\u2019ll be protecting my mental health and my sanity\u2014making sure I\u2019m in a good headspace when I go out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Win, lose, or draw, Chloe seems to have the physical and emotional toolkit she needs to handle any possible outcome, which is a first for her. And luckily, this time around, she\u2019s also got a cozy, plant-filled room that\u2019s all her own to escape to and find a moment of zen.<\/p>\n

\"colorful\"magazineJustin Steele<\/p>\n

Perfect Moment sweater, Nike leggings, Moon Boot boots<\/p>\n

Photographed by Justin Steele
Executive Visual Director Fabienne Le Roux
Styled by Jasmine Fontaina
Hair by Brian Magallones using Bumble and bumble for TraceyMattingly.com
Makeup by Gianpaolo Ceciliato using Yon-Ka Paris and Le Rouge Fran\u00e7ais for TraceyMattingly.com
Nails by Kylie Kwok using Nail Labo USA for TraceyMattingly.com
Set Design by Jared Lawton
Executive Producer Dorenna Newton
Director Janie Booth
DP Derrick Saint Pierre
Editor Josh Archer<\/p>\n

This story appears in the Winter 2026 issue of Women’s Health. <\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Amy Wilkinson is a contributing entertainment editor at Women’s Health, where she edits the magazine’s celebrity cover stories and writes health features. She has previously held editor titles at Entertainment Weekly and MTV News. In 2021, Amy completed her 600-hour teacher-training at Core Pilates NYC to become a comprehensively trained Pilates instructor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Chloe Kim bought her Los Angeles home in 2021, she found herself with an unused, and sun-drenched,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":233562,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[119181,119180,21390,119179,119182,103,61,60,410,411,119183,119184,87940],"class_list":{"0":"post-233561","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-2026-milan-cortina-olympic-games","9":"tag-2026-olympics","10":"tag-burnout","11":"tag-chloe-kim","12":"tag-chloe-kim-comeback","13":"tag-health","14":"tag-ie","15":"tag-ireland","16":"tag-mental-health","17":"tag-mentalhealth","18":"tag-olympic-fitness","19":"tag-snowboard-training","20":"tag-snowboarding"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233561","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=233561"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233561\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/233562"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=233561"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=233561"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=233561"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}