Some of us may shun parental support during our teen years, but as we grow into adults we learn to truly appreciate the network we have around us, namely our mum and dad.
They are there for the lows, and we can always count on them to beam with pride during the highs, as one Olympian found out this week.
Chloe Kim made headlines on this week by winning 2018 Winter Olympics gold at just 17-years-old in the women’s snowboard halfpipe final, but it was her father who helped steal the show winning Internet gold, with his thoughtfully adorable, homemade sign.
Television footage showed Jong Jin cheering on his daughter as she went for a final run to light up the Olympics, having already bagged the gold medal.
American Kim, who is of South Korean heritage, is snowboarding protégé was beaming at the end of her incredible win and spectators were quick to point out the brilliance of proud dad Jong Jin Kim's showing of support.
Observe the laminated, pink-and-purple markered beauty which Kim’s father waved from the sidelines. This picture, taken right before Kim’s spectacular halfpipe run, went viral overnight, and Twitter was especially enthusiastic about it all.
Ultimate Dad Sign Move by Chloe Kim's dad. He's too precious. We must protect him. Olympics pic.twitter.com/VeThDazErV
— Patrick Quaife (@pquaife) February 13, 2018
You wanna make me cry? Show me this picture of Chloe Kim's dad right before she hits the half-pipe. Yea, that'll do it. pic.twitter.com/IilYKUz8xr
— Rebecca (@BeckksSG) February 13, 2018
chloe kim on her dad and his pure, laminated “go chloe!” sign are too much for my heart pic.twitter.com/oKkiK0HLoN
— Lina Tran (@tinyeggs) February 13, 2018
The backstory on Kim’s relationship with her father is just as sweet. The Washington Post reported that it was when he took his daughter to a resort near their home in California when she was only four, where he discovered she was a natural in the snow. He eventually quit his job in order to homeschool her so she could have extra time to devote to her now incredible snowboarding skills. “I can’t express how much I love my dad,” she said. “I always get teary-eyed when I talk about him because he’s so great.”
It's made some of us turn to mush.
