At the top of the halfpipe, seconds away from destiny or disappointment, Chloe Kim took a long pause and a deep breath.<\/p>\n
For an hour, it seemed like Kim was cruising toward a third straight gold medal and Olympic history for any snowboarder, man or woman. And then, out of nowhere, a metaphorical thunderbolt pierced through the snowy night sky.<\/p>\n
It was 17-year-old Gaon Choi, whose body had been twisted and bruised by two gnarly falls, standing up and stomping a run that had taken the lead and put Kim in a position she hadn\u2019t experienced very often in her forever career.<\/p>\n
This time, the coronation was off. The pressure was on.<\/p>\n
Kim couldn\u2019t help but think about the symmetry of her first Olympics eight years ago, a 17-year-old about to introduce herself to the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was in very similar shoes once upon a time,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s such a full circle moment.\u201d<\/p>\n