America’s best-known snowboarders are both looking to win gold medals in the Halfpipe on Tuesday. Chloe Kim is favored in the women’s competition, per 2022 Winter Olympics odds, while the betting market has Shaun White missing out on adding another medal to his collection.
Kim and White are two of the four Team USA snowboarders looking to defend the gold medals they won in 2018. Jamie Anderson and Red Gerard won gold in Slopestyle.
Kim burst onto the snowboarding scene by becoming the first athlete in X Games history to win three gold medals before turning 16. Kim then became a household name across the world by winning gold in the halfpipe at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Kim stepped away from snowboarding to focus on life as a normal college student when she enrolled at Princeton in 2019. She was away from the sport for 22 months before returning in 2021.
Returning To Competition A Challenge For Chloe Kim
Kim told espnW that her return came with some nervous moments.
“I’m not going to lie. I was so nervous at my first contest back. I was nauseous. I was about to throw up before,” Kim said. “I was so nervous because 22 months is a really long time. And I kind of forgot what it was like because I got so accustomed to my chill college life, where I go to class and hang out with friends. I definitely kind of forgot how nerve-wracking it is.”
Oddsmakers appear far less nervous, as DraftKings, FanDuel, BetRivers, and PointsBet have installed her as a prohibitive favorite. Kim’s Team USA teammates, Maddie Mastro, Tessa Maud, and Zoe Kalapos are longshots to medal.
| Sportsbook | DraftKings | FanDuel | BetRivers | PointsBet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chloe Kim (USA) | -250 | -230 | -225 | -225 |
| Cai Xuetong (CHN) | +600 | +850 | +600 | +700 |
| Queralt Castellet (ESP) | +800 | +1300 | +900 | +1000 |
| Sena Tomita (JPN) | +900 | +1300 | +1000 | +1100 |
| Ruki Tomita (JPN) | +1500 | +2500 | +2000 | +2200 |
In Slopestyle, oddsmakers have installed New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski-Synnott as the favorite, with Anderson solidly in second. Australia’s Tess Coady is third, while Americans Hailey Langland, Julia Marino, and Courtney Rummel are longshots.
In Big Air, Sadowski-Synnott is again favored over Anderson. Austria’s Anna Gasser, and Japan’s Reira Iwabuchi and, Miyabi Onitsuka round out the top-five favorites.
Shaun White Navigates Rocky Road To Beijing
Simply making the Team USA roster was challenging for White, who was slowed by an ankle injury and a bout with COVID-19. A third-place finish at a World Cup event in mid-January helped secure his spot.
White, 35, finished third at the Laax Open in Switzerland, his first podium finish since his gold-winning performance in the 2018 Winter Olympics.
The Flying Tomato is a three-time Olympic gold medalist, but bookmakers price him at 6-to-1 odds to add another gold to his collection. His USA teammates – Taylor Gold, Chase Jasey, and Lucas Foster are longshots to medal.
| Sportsbook | DraftKings | FanDuel | BetRivers | PointsBet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ayumu Hirano (JPN) | +225 | +250 | +200 | +275 |
| Scotty James (AUS) | +300 | +270 | +300 | +300 |
| Yuto Totsuka (JPN | +300 | +650 | +700 | +600 |
| Shaun White (USA) | +600 | +550 | +400 | +700 |
The oddsmakers have the men’s Slopestyle as a three-way battle between Gerard, Canada’s Mark McMorris, and Norway’s Marcus Kleveland. DraftKings has Gerard as the chalk, FanDuel and PointsBet favor McMorris, with BetRivers listing Kleveland as the top betting choice.
Team USA’s Dusty Henricksen and Chris Corning are priced with long odds to medal in Slopestyle.
Kleveland is favored Men’s Big Air, with Canadians Max Parrott and Mark McNorris, and Team USA’s Corning completing the top four. Team USA’s Gerard, Sean Fitzsimons, and Henricksen are longshots to reach the podium.
Also read: Mikaela Shiffrin Favored In Women’s Giant Slalom | Norway tops gold medal count oddsboard
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