Chloe Kim shows no rust in a no-drama run through Olympic halfpipe qualifying

LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — Sure, Chloe Kim was a touch nervous. But who were we kidding?

“I might be better at snowboarding than I am at walking,” she said.

That was apparent Wednesday when Kim, four weeks removed from a schedule-scrambling shoulder injury, soared through a no-fuss, no-drama qualifying round, finishing first to easily earn a spot in the final where she'll attempt to become the first snowboarder to win three straight Olympic gold medals.

Two dozen riders got two turns down the Olympic halfpipe on a partly cloudy day in Livigno, with their best score counting and only 12 advancing to Thursday night's final.

Kim dropped in the middle of the pack and immediately separated herself from everyone.

The run included a massive big air leap, some 13 feet over the edge of the halfpipe, punctuated with a showy grab of the board, and also a 1080-degree spin while riding backward — a trick she can make even harder by adding an extra flip.

When she was done, she smiled huge for the camera and stuck out her tongue.

“I’ve been doing this for 22 years,” said Kim, who is 25. “Muscle memory is a thing.”

There were other hard tricks going down on the halfpipe — American Maddie Mastro led off both of her runs with double corks — but in many ways, this looked like most contests Kim has been part of over her decade of dominance. She's just a lot better.

Kim is competing in these Olympics wearing a shoulder brace, the result of an awkward fall four weeks ago during a training run in Switzerland. She returned to the halfpipe only two weeks ago. This marked her first truly meaningful run since last March.

“She's been very well behaved,” Kim said, looking down at her left shoulder. “So I'm grateful for that.”

The men's qualifying was set for later Wednesday, with all of last year's podium — Ayumu Hirano, Scotty James and Jan Scherrer — in the lineup, and this sport's GOAT, Shaun White, on hand for NBC.

Kim said she was hoping to link frontside and backside 900s on her second run, but she skidded a bit after the first one, so pulled up to save herself for the final, where she'll go bigger. A few minutes later, she was in the crowd, sharing hugs with her boyfriend, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett.

“I've landed all the components of my finals run, I just haven't put them together,” she said. “So I'll get to do it on the big day.”

Among her biggest challengers will be Mastro, Japan's Sara Shimizu and Sena Tomita, Korea's Gaon Choi and U.S. rider Bea Kim, all of whom made the final 12.

They are all in the running for medals — and a gold one if Kim is not at her best.

Seasoned as she is in jumping huge in big contests, Kim conceded the injury, which forced her to switch things on the run in the run-up to Milan Cortina, has changed her perspective on the possibilities of being the sport's first to win three in a row.

“If you'd asked me before the shoulder injury, I'd maybe have a different answer for you," she said. "But just because I'm coming back from an injury, obviously I didn't get nearly the amount of reps I would normally get going into an Olympics, I'm just really proud of myself and proud that I've been able to push it as far as I have.”

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Cleveland Browns' Myles Garrett, left, and United States' Chloe Kim stand after the women's snowboarding halfpipe qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

United States' Chloe Kim celebrates during the women's snowboarding halfpipe qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

United States' Chloe Kim reacts to her score during the women's snowboarding halfpipe qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

United States' Chloe Kim competes during the women's snowboarding halfpipe qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

United States' Chloe Kim reacts to her score during the women's snowboarding halfpipe qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration is closing the airspace around El Paso International Airport in Texas for 10 days, grounding all flights to and from the airport.

A notice posted on the FAA's website said the temporary flight restrictions were for “special security reasons,” but did not provide additional details. The closure does not include Mexican airspace.

The airport said in an Instagram post that all flights to and from the airport would be grounded from late Tuesday through late on Feb. 20, including commercial, cargo and general aviation flights. It suggested travelers contact their airlines to get up-to-date flight information.

The shutdown is likely to create significant disruptions given the duration and the size of the metropolitan area. El Paso, a border city with a population of nearly 700,000 and larger when you include the surrounding metro area, is hub of cross-border commerce alongside neighboring Ciudad Juarez in Mexico.

Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Democrat whose district includes El Paso, urged the FAA to lift the restrictions in a statement Wednesday morning. There was no advance notice given to her office, the city of El Paso or airport operations, she said.

“The highly consequential decision by FAA to shut down the El Paso Airport for 10 days is unprecedented and has resulted in significant concern within the community,” Escobar said. “From what my office and I have been able to gather overnight and early this morning there is no immediate threat to the community or surrounding areas.”

The airport describes itself as the gateway to west Texas, southern New Mexico and northern Mexico. Southwest, United, American and Delta all operate flights there, among others.

A similar temporary flight restriction for special security reasons over the same time period was imposed around Santa Teresa, New Mexico, which is about 15 miles (24 kilometers) northwest of the El Paso airport.

Southwest Airlines said in a statement that it has paused all operations to and from El Paso at the direction of the FAA.

“We have notified affected customers and will share additional information as it becomes available,” Southwest Airlines said. “Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of its customers and employees.”

FILE - A Federal Aviation Administration sign hangs in the tower at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, March 16, 2017. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)