ICYMI: Snowboarder Chloe Kim was in this uber emotional Super Bowl ad
Olympic athletes devote their lives to honing their skill, and becoming the world’s best doesn’t happen without an impeccable support system. Fortunately for snowboarder Chloe Kim, she has one — and it comes in the form of her father, Jong-Jin Kim.
A number of “Best of U.S.” ads aired during this year’s Super Bowl, but Chloe’s ad, starring her real-life father, tugged at the world’s collective heart-strings. The ad follows Jong-Jin driving his daughter to snowboarding practices, watching her compete, and abandoning his job so that he could better support his daughter’s dreams.
“I have to do what’s best for my daughter,” Jong-Jin says in the commercial just before quitting.
The narrative isn’t just cheesy advertising for the Olympic Games — it’s their real life story: Jong-Jin bought Chloe her first snowboard when she was four years old, and he really did quit his engineering job to foster her talent.
“Obviously, when I was eight, I had no idea what he was doing,” Chloe told The Washington Post. “It was, like, ‘Why is Dad home more?’ You know? But now that I think about it, you know, I feel like it was a really bold move, and I can’t believe my mom was okay with it.”
The bold move paid off, as 17-year-old Chloe is now the first female to land back-to-back 1080s and to score a perfect 100, and she already has three gold X Games medals under her belt.
“The coolest part about shooting this commercial was doing it with my dad, Chloe told EW.com in a statement. “It’s honestly the best representation of myself and my story because my dad was right there with me.
The ad’s final image features Chloe’s dad clutching her trophy, fast asleep, while she drives the two of them home, and we’re seriously hoping the scene forshadows what’s to come at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWUPTTVxzTk?feature=oembed
Snowboarding events kick off Saturday, February 10th, and we’ll be cheering for Chloe — and everyone who helped her get there.
