See the Halfpipe Snowboarders Take Flight in Beijing

Chloe Kim of the United States on her first qualifying run, which secured her a spot in the final.Credit...Chang W. Lee/The New York TimesSnowboarding’s halfpipe competition has begun at the Beijing Winter Olympics. In a sport where a bad run can knock athletes out of contention, and a bad fall can do far worse, every run matters, even in the qualifying round.

Chloe Kim, the defending gold medalist from the United States, delivered as needed on Wednesday. She scored a 87.75 in her first of two runs, guaranteeing her a spot in Thursday’s final. The men’s qualifying runs begin Wednesday afternoon (Tuesday night in the United States), with all eyes on Shaun White, who is competing in his last…