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things out that you just tuck in your little secret
part of your heart helps a lot,” she says. “I feel
much more at peace now.”
as the beijing games have drawn nearer,
Kim’s focus has intensified. Always committed
to training in the snow, she started hitting the
gym with purpose too. Kim’s trainer, Roy Chan,
has Kim doing single-leg squats and other core
exercises to make sure she can sustain the force
of her landings. “She pretty much doesn’t take
any days off,” Chan says. “In a lot of cases, ath-
letes sometimes just fall out of love with the
extracurricular work that they need to sus-
tain their season. But with Chloe that’s not
the case.”
For now, her plans for Beijing include
unveiling three new tricks. “I’m so excited,” she
says. “They’re an upgrade from everything I’ve
done.” She won’t say more, which makes sense,
but also demurs when asked more generally
about the Winter Games. “Don’t have too many
expectations,” she says softly. “Just let me vibe.
I’m just trying to chill.” She gives it a beat.
Then, in a more forceful voice, Chloe Kim gets
real. “No, I’m just kidding. You just expect a lot
out of me. I’m going to go off.” —With reporting
by SangSuk Sylvia kang, nik PoPli and
Simmone Shah