Chloe Kim is pressing pause on her academic career to return to competitive snowboarding. The Olympic Chanel reports the gold medal winner champion took a year off competition to attend Princeton University but has requested a leave absence from the prestigious university to participate in the 20200-2021 season despite not knowing whether global health conditions will allow for competition this winter.

“Right now I’m working on getting my body back into snowboarding shape. I’m really excited to get back and I think the break was really good. I just think I got kind of bored (of snowboarding) for a bit and just needed to switch it up. I did it (college) for a year. I got a leave of absence so I will be able to compete fully this coming season – hopefully, if it happens. If it happens then I’ll be able to compete full-time.”

The sameness of top-level snowboarding took its toll on Kim, who was accepted to Princeton in 2018 after her Olympic Games exploits.

“It was getting really repetitive for me, just competing, travelling, the same people all the time. Always. No new faces, nothing. The people I was surrounding myself with, I knew since I was like a child, we all grew up together. We all competed against each other at a young age, so everyone I knew, I knew for a long time.

I thought I needed to experience more, and I really wanted to experience school. And I got into a really great school and I just thought that would be a perfect opportunity, because I also had broken my ankle the season after the Olympics, so I was like, I’m going to let this heal while I go to school.

I have so many amazing new friends. Now I’m really grateful and happy I did that. I learned so much.

Pumped to hear Chloe is taking a year off her studies to get back in the pipe this winter. Best of luck!

 

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