American snowboarders Chloe Kim and Bea Kim have already made waves at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, clinching their spots in the women’s halfpipe finals. Both are celebrated as top talents in their country, earning Olympic berths after standout performances throughout the 2025-26 season.
Their partnership began when Bea burst onto the scene as a rising star in 2024, openly sharing her admiration for Chloe, her longtime inspiration.
Chloe Kim and Bea Kim’s Relationship
At the 2026 Winter Olympics, Chloe Kim put on a remarkable display, finishing 1st in the women’s halfpipe qualification run with a score of 90.25. Bea Kim, on the other hand, who is marking her Olympic debut, also put on a strong display, finishing in 10th place with a score of 76.75.
Chloe and Bea share more than just a last name: both hail from Southern California, both are Asian-American, and both use their voices for change. Chloe has spoken out against anti-Asian hate, while Bea champions climate action. Despite these striking similarities, the two are not related.
Bea’s journey began at age 11, when she watched Chloe capture Olympic gold in 2018 and felt inspired to follow in her footsteps. She later trained at Mammoth Mountain, just like her idol. Bea is Korean and Japanese-American, while Chloe is a second-generation Korean-American. Bea grew up in Palos Verdes, a coastal community in southwestern Los Angeles County, while Chloe hails from neighboring Torrance.
Chloe Kim on How Snowboarding Helped Her Financially
Kim made her breakthrough in 2015 at the age of 14, winning gold in women’s superpipe at the X Games Aspen, becoming the youngest athlete ever to do so, and capturing global attention. She would eventually become the youngest woman to win snowboarding gold in Olympic history, establishing herself as one of the greats.
In an interview with Elle, Kim spoke about her rise in snowboarding, discussing how her first sponsorship deal with Monster Energy helped her father retire.
“I’m not saying that that’s why I love snowboarding, for the money, but I realized that I was fortunate to be able to do something that was not really conventional, and be successful at it, and get to live the most awesome life, too. I’ve had so many people in my life tell my parents that maybe I shouldn’t be doing this, that I am wasting my life and youth away on something that won’t amount to anything.”
The women’s halfpipe final takes place tomorrow, February 12, from 19:30 to 21:05 CET. Fans can catch the action live on Peacock or NBCOlympics.com, with U.S. coverage airing on NBC and USA Network.
