“I Want to be Normal”: Chloe Kim Reveals the Dark Reality Behind Her College Life as a Famous Athlete

21-year-old snowboarding champion, Chloe Kim is the new rising star of the sport. At just 17, Kim became the first woman to land back-to-back 1080s. She is also the first woman to land a front-side double cork 1080.

After her impressive performance at Pyeongchang, Kim quickly rose to stardom. Still a teenager then, she became the face of snowboarding. However, with the medal came unprecedented attention, something she was not ready for.

This dream scenario slowly became a nightmare for Kim, who just wanted to be a normal kid. Sadly, it even followed her to college. Recently, Kim revealed the horrors of fame which she faced in her college life.

“I want to be normal”: Chloe Kim

Fall of 2019, Chloe Kim joined Princeton University. This was a change for Kim as she had been homeschooled since a very young age.

Considering that Princeton University is an Ivy League College, it is no stranger to celebrities and famous students. Even Chloe Kim thought she would go unnoticed. But things were very different there.

Students followed her everywhere, asking for autographs and pictures. Kim made it clear that she was only there to be a student. Kim narrated an incident that took place on her first night on campus.

“As I was leaving, the girls came up to me, they’re like, ‘Chloe, can we get a picture, can we get a picture, can we get a picture?” she said.

All Kim wanted was just to be another new college student, figuring her way out of things on her own. But getting that life was harder than Kim had imagined. She didn’t want to be there as a star snowboarder but as a simple student leading a usual college life.

“I want to be like everyone else. I want to be normal.’ That’s why I came here,” added Kim.

Things turned bad for Kim

Notably, her parents also revealed how Kim would call her mother crying, as it was too much for her to handle.

“She’d call us and say, ‘Mom, people are staring at me and I feel so uncomfortable,” says Boran.

Moreover, Kim also requested that her dorm and room number be removed from the address book because of severe stalking issues. She started eating outside and avoided going to the dining halls. This resulted in the college removing every student’s address from the book and students blamed her for the policy change.

“Every time I did something for myself,” Kim says, “it ended up being a whole issue.”

Kim might be an Olympic champion, but people tend to forget that she is also a simple human being, like everyone, who is still very young. The athlete deserves her own space and privacy. Truly, it is saddening to see an athlete, this elite, face the wrath of her own success.

READ MORE: “I Was Only 13”: US Snowboarder Chloe Kim Reveals She Was Not Allowed to Go to the Olympics Despite Qualifying