Photo: Chloe Kim//Instagram
Two of U.S. snowboarding’s biggest names, Chloe Kim and Red Gerard, are heading to the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Italy — the first to earn their spots on Team U.S.A.. Their quotas were made official on May 1 after both athletes topped the World Snowboard Points List (WSPL), which ranks snowboarders worldwide based on their results across a variety of contests. It will be the third Olympic Games for both athletes who are just 25 and 24 years old respectively and hold three Gold medals combined ( 2018, 2022 Halfpipe for Kim, and 2018 Slopestyle for Gerard).
It’s been a busy year for Kim en route to her qualification. Her top world ranking in women’s halfpipe came with a third World Championship Gold, eighth career win at the X Games, and making history when she became the first woman to land a switch frontside double cork 1080 in competition at the Laax Open.
“Qualifying early has taken a huge weight off my shoulders. I can now focus on training and getting my runs dialed,” she said.
Gerard, meanwhile, won his first Olympic Gold as a teenager as well in the 2018 Games. That accomplishment made him the first Winter Olympics medalist born in the 21st century, which took place four months before his 18th birthday. Gerard made the Slopestyle final in the 2022 Winter Olympics but placed fourth and missed the podium. He’s been on a streak in 2024 and 2025 however en route to his own early qualification, taking second place at the Laax Open and Calgary World Cup to go with back-to-back slopestyle Gold medals at X Games 2024 and X Games 2025. According to Snowboarder, Gerard switched up his typical yearly routine where he pauses competing every February to take on backcountry film projects. he pushed through this year in order to secure his spot for Italy.
“It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do in my career of competitive snowboarding,” he said. “In the end, I could not be more excited to make the team and be going to my third Olympics. I am eager to put my best foot forward in 2026.”
