By Winni Zhou and Mari Saito
ZHANGJIAKOU, China (Reuters) – American snowboarder Chloe Kim, who won her second gold in the halfpipe final in Beijing on Thursday, said she was better prepared for the stresses that victory brings after learning important lessons from the Pyeongchang Games.
Athletes from gymnast Simone Biles to tennis player Naomi Osaka have increasingly spoken out about the importance of wellbeing and struggles with depression.
Kim, who dominated Thursday’s final out of the gate by landing 1080s in her first run, told reporters after her win that she was “not in a good place” earlier in the day.
“Everyone goes through things and everyone struggles with mental health … For me, last night, I was just lying in bed thinking about things … all night,” the 21-year old said.
For Kim, who at 17 became the youngest woman to win Olympic gold in snowboarding, dealing with competition stress is nothing new.
She took nearly two years off the mountain to focus on her studies and mental health after suffering burnout from the fame that came with her 2018 Games win.
“I am more prepared this time. Luckily, it was a learning curve since the last time,” she said.
“Now that I’ve grown up a little more, I understand boundaries and I have an amazing therapist, so I think it will make the journey a lot more doable.”
(Reporting by Winni Zhou and Mari Saito; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
