Chloe Kim’s Milan adventure was undeniably successful, but her recent revelation confirmed that financial success found her by the time she was just 13.

With a silver medal in the 2026 Winter Games halfpipe event, the 25-year-old became the first female snowboarder to win a medal in three consecutive Olympic halfpipe events. But while talking to Amanda Hirsch on the March 13 episode of the ‘Not Skinny But Not Fat’ podcast, Kim revealed that she had become a millionaire by 15, all thanks to the endorsement deals she scored.

She said, “My first big sponsor was with Monster Energy, at 13. I'm still with them, really, and that contract changed my life. It was six figures. At 15, I retired my parents when I became a millionaire.”

At 13, Kim earned silver in the superpipe event at the 2014 Winter X Games. And in the next year, she made history as the youngest athlete ever to win an X Games gold medal. Such a feat was bound to attract brand interest.

And that was exactly what happened. Kim signed with Monster Energy and eventually expanded her portfolio with Nike, Toyota, and several other noted brands.

However, she did not forget to mention the person who was behind all of her success at such a young age.

Chloe Kim’s Father Invested in Her Talent

Growing up in Orange County, California, Kim started snowboarding at 4. And her dad’s personal interest and immediate recognition of his daughter’s talent made him unofficially coach her. He put her in high-diving classes, and eventually quit his engineering job to support her.

“He took a risk, but it was gonna pay off”, said Kim, highlighting her father’s decision. “It was probably the dumbest thing you could do, but he did it, and it worked out. Thank God.”

However, it wasn’t “dumb” to Jong Kim, who had a dream to make his daughter successful and push her to find a position on the US Olympic team.

“I know that I cannot be a billionaire”, said Jong to Erica Gonzales during an interview with Elle magazine. “So why don’t I make my daughter [get on the] US Olympic team? As an immigrant, that’s one of the American dreams.”

As Jong supported his daughter, Kim repaid that by ensuring her parents’ early retirement, providing them a life of comfort and pride in their Olympian daughter.

Well, she couldn't have used her resources for a better purpose. Do you agree?

Written by

Deblina Roy

Edited by

Souvik Roy