USA’s Chloe Kim and Australia’s Scotty James are top of the halfpipe heap-- again.
Chloe Kim claimed her third snowboard halfpipe World Championship and a spot on the 2026 US Olympic team in St Moritz, Switzerland, on Saturday with a killer first run that scored 93.50. Japan's Sara Shimizu and Mitsuki Ono took silver and bronze, respectively. Kim's victory marks a significant comeback after a two-year hiatus from competition, during which she focused on mental health and personal growth. She expressed renewed joy in her return to competition, telling The Guardian, "I really started to find the joy for the sport again, and that's been a really positive change for me."
At 30 years old, Scotty James’s 95.00 scoring run made him the first four time world champion in men’s snowboard halfpipe. James’s wrote on Instagram:
“4x World Champion. I love my job.”
