He’s a cool dad! Chloe Kim took the 2018 Olympics by storm on Monday, February 12, when she won gold in the women’s halfpipe event — but she’s not the only one in the Kim clan that’s making headlines.
The 17-year-old athlete’s father, Jong Jin Kim, set the Twittersphere on fire following her performance in PyeongChang, South Korea. The proud dad was seen with a homemade, laminated “Go Chloe” sign with hearts drawn on it during her run.
Following her win, the Olympic gold medalist’s parents embraced her and Jong Jin pointed to himself and stated, “American Dream.” And the freezing temps couldn’t stop Jong Jin from celebrating his daughters accomplishment with a cold beer.
On commenter wrote: “You wanna make me cry? Show me this picture of Chloe Kim’s dad right before she hits the half-pipe. Yea, that’ll do it.”
You wanna make me cry? Show me this picture of Chloe Kim's dad right before she hits the half-pipe. Yea, that'll do it. pic.twitter.com/IilYKUz8xr
— Rebecca (@BeckksSG) February 13, 2018
“Jong Jin, father of Chloe Kim, gold medalist in snowboarding halfpipe, showed up with a run of the mill poster board sign: “Go Chloe!” No flash — except on the course. Wow. #OlympicGames2018,” another added.
Jong Jin, father of Chloe Kim, gold medalist in snowboarding halfpipe, showed up with a run of the mill poster board sign: “Go Chloe!” No flash — except on the course. Wow. #OlympicGames2018
— Matt Chittum (@mattchittum) February 13, 2018
And it’s safe to say they’d win gold if there were a father/daughter duo contest. “Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad. #ChloeKim #fatherdaughter #WinterOlympics,” one fan tweeted. “#ChloeKim Dad is setting major #dadgoals. Congrats to her on her 🥇 #OlympicGames2018 #snowboarding #TeamUSA,” another added.
Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad. #ChloeKim #fatherdaughter #WinterOlympics
— E Would (@eEewould) February 13, 2018
#ChloeKim Dad is setting major #dadgoals. Congrats to her on her 🥇 #OlympicGames2018 #snowboarding #TeamUSA
— Cait Grandpre (@CaitGrandpre) February 13, 2018
According to CNN, Chloe’s father emigrated from South Korea to the United States with only $800 cash in 1982. He ultimately ended up quitting his engineering job about a decade ago to support Chloe’s snowboarding career.
Chloe, a first generation Korean-American, has also kept fans entertained during her run in PyeongChang, continually tweeting about her eating habits. “Oh and I also had 2 churros today and they were pretty bomb so if you ever get nervous go eat a churro,” she tweeted on Sunday, February 11.
During her competition, she tweeted, “Could be down for some ice cream rn,” and followed it up with, “Wish I finished my breakfast sandwich but my stubborn self decided not to and now I’m getting hangry.”
Us Weekly caught up with Chloe before her stint at the 2018 Winter Olympics where she told Us that her favorite fast food is Chipotle and her go-to meal “is anything that I can pop in the oven.”