Chloe Kim’s quest for Olympic glory spoiled in dramatic finish witnessed by Browns star Myles Garrett

Chloe Kim stood on the halfpipe in Italy chasing history, aware of what a third straight Olympic gold would mean. No snowboarder had ever done it. For two runs, it felt close enough to touch.

The air was crisp, the crowd loud, and her first score hinted at another coronation. Then, in a matter of seconds, the script flipped. A teenager from South Korea delivered the ride of her life, and Kim’s golden streak slipped away.High above the pipe, one familiar face tracked every move. Myles Garrett had crossed continents to be there. Days removed from winning the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award after a record 23-sack season, he traded a football stage for a snowy one.

He arrived too late for the awards night in San Francisco to celebrate with Kim, but in Italy, he made sure she would not compete alone.

Chloe Kim’s Olympic bid falls short as Choi Ga-on’s final run seals the upset

Kim entered the Milano Cortina Games as the reigning queen of women’s halfpipe. The Korean-American star from Torrance had already claimed gold in Pyeongchang at 17 and again in Beijing, becoming the first woman to win the event twice. A third title would have set her apart in Olympic history.

Her opening run in Thursday’s final carried the polish of a champion. Clean landings. Confident amplitude. The kind of execution that usually forces the field to chase. Afterward, she found Garrett near the barricade. They hugged. They kissed. For a moment, it felt settled.Garrett, 6-foot-4 and unmistakable in a custom Winter Olympics jacket printed with Kim’s face, had already drawn attention during qualifying.

He posed for photos, cheered from the sidelines, and looked every bit the proud partner. The image of him in full fan mode spread quickly online.But sport rarely honors sentiment.

Seventeen-year-old Choi Ga-on attacked her final run with fearless precision. Her 90.25 edged Kim’s 88.0 after the American fell on her last attempt, trying to reclaim the top spot. The upset stunned the crowd. It also sparked predictable noise online, where some fans jokingly blamed Garrett and the Browns curse for the result.Kim’s resume remains unmatched. Two Olympic gold medals. A generation inspired. A presence that extends beyond medals, now including a public relationship that first surfaced at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards in Tokyo and later at an NFL game this season.On this night, history belonged to someone else. Kim skated off without the third gold, but not without perspective. Greatness does not disappear in a single run. It waits for the next one.