Chloe Kim is being dubbed by new sources around the globe as one of the most relatable Team USA Olympians. She secured her Olympic Gold Medal in the women’s halfpipe snowboarding competition at 17 years old while listening to Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi.” She admitted on camera that the only reason she didn’t cry during her gold medal ceremony was because she worked too hard on her eyeliner to risk messing it up. She even admitted to live-tweeting her ice cream cravings during the competition.
Something about Chloe’s nonchalance on the whole Olympic experience leaves some people to wonder how she got there in the first place. Chloe started snowboarding at four years old and competing at age six. She spent two years training in Switzerland before her 11th birthday and even managed to become fluent in French while she was there. She won 3 X Games gold medals before turning 16 and is still the only person to do so. She’s the youngest person ever to win her Olympic title and she holds a ton of other “youngest” and “only” titles in snowboarding.
By the looks of things, she’s already a certified badass, and she’s not even 18. She’s confronted issues of race and immigration with grace because of her first-generation Korean-American status. At the end of the day though, Chloe Kim is just a regular teen whose hobbies listed on the official Team USA website include playing guitar, hiking, and shopping, and that list alone is enough to make me want to be her best friend.