Chloe Kim wraps up season with US Grand Prix halfpipe win

WASHINGTON -- Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim took the US Grand Prix title on Sunday, dominating the snowboarding event at Aspen, the United States.

The 20-year-old American of South Korean descent won the women's title with a score of 90.50, clinching her ninth career World Cup win in 13 starts.

"I was watching everyone else ride and I wanted to do something different and something that I haven't seen in the women's field before and my solution to that was a back three into a switch method," said Kim, according to a International Ski Federation (FIS) report.

Second place went to Queralt Castellet of Spain, who had taken bronze at the Aspen 2021 World Championships, with third place going to Japan's Sena Tomita.

Much attention on the men's side was focused on three-time Olympic gold medallist Shaun White making his first halfpipe finals appearance in over three years, but it was Japanese rider Yuto Totsuka who shone brightest, with a winning score of 91.75.

The 19 year-old, who has now won five straight major competitions, was joined on the podium by his compatriot Raibu Katayama. Third place went to Germany's Andre Hoeflich, while White took fourth place with a score of 81.50, the best American men's result of the day.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020/21 FIS Snowboard halfpipe World Cup season has now concluded prematurely.

"Though there were no crystal globes to hand out in this pandemic-shortened season, the winter of 2020/21 ended on a high nonetheless," said the FIS on its website.