INTERNATIONAL: American Chloe Kim put in a dominating performance on Thursday,February 10, to win the women's halfpipe snowboarding gold and successfully defend her 2018 Olympic title. No one was matching Kim’s height or demanding array of tricks. Not after an opening performance that featured a variety of different spins and rotations, including a front and backside 1080 (three spins each). That flawless run has appeared to surprise even her as she covered her mouth in excitement. She later told a coach it was the best one she’s done.

The 21-year-old from California turned in a strong opening run to easily defend her title at the Beijing 2022 Games. Kim blew her competition away with a top score of 94 in her opening run. Spain's Queralt Castellet took silver and Sena Tomita of Japan won the bronze medal.

Kim, who at 17 became the youngest woman ever to win Olympic gold in snowboarding at the Pyeongchang Games in 2018, has roared back in style after taking nearly two years off the slopes.

From her first run, Kim has led the final. Given her sizeable lead, Kim has attempted a cab 1260 in her second and third runs but fell both times.

Castellet got the next highest 90.25 and Tomita scored 88.25.

Each of the 12 boarders in the final got three runs in the halfpipe, with their ranking determined by their best score out of those runs.

The course, officially called the Secret Garden Olympic Halfpipe, is more than 200 metres long and 22 metres wide. The inner height of the halfpipe walls is 7 metres.

Kim joins fellow American Shaun White as the only snowboarders to defend their Olympic titles in the halfpipe. White has accomplished the feat in 2006 and 2010.

Watching the contest Thursday was IOC President Thomas Bach and Chinese freestyle skier Eileen Gu, who recently won the Olympic big air competition.