Glen Rock Graduate to Compete on Team USA at World Junior Championships
Press Release from Glen Rock Public Schools
Glen Rock’s own Chloe Kim is making waves on the international stage. Following a standout performance at the U.S. National Championships in early June, Chloe earned a spot on Team USA and will represent the country at the World Junior Championships this August in Otopeni, Romania. She will compete in the 1500m Freestyle, going head-to-head with top athletes from around the globe.
Chloe has been a dedicated member of Scarlet Aquatics for years, with her competitive swimming journey beginning at just seven years old. Remarkably, her passion for the sport was sparked by a fear of the water. “Originally, I was afraid to put my head under the water,” Chloe recalled. “So I asked my parents if I could learn how to swim.” At age six, her mother found a private coach, and Chloe began swimming in small group lessons. That early experience quickly evolved into training with a club team led by the same coach in Tenafly, marking the start of her competitive career.
Who would have imagined that just a decade after learning to swim, Chloe would be representing the United States on the world stage? Chloe described feeling both shocked and thrilled when she learned she had made Team USA. “They had certain people come up to you on the pool deck during the National Championships (the qualifying meet for the World Junior Championships for athletes 18 and under) if you had made the team,” she explained. “It felt like a new chapter of my journey as a swimmer had opened. Just having the opportunity to represent the stars and stripes on my swim cap this August is a huge honor.”
As she prepares to compete for Team USA in Romania from August 19-24, Chloe shared that she is especially excited about the opportunity to meet fellow rising stars from around the globe. Interestingly, the 1500m Freestyle wasn’t always her strongest event. “Starting out in a group with older kids and a new coach just a few years back, it just happened to be that I began getting better at those longer swims,” Chloe explained. “Even though I have qualified for the longest possible event in swimming, I also compete in other events, especially the 400m Individual Medley.”
Chloe’s parents, Sangjoon Kim and Sunyoung Park, shared how incredibly proud they are of their daughter’s accomplishments. They acknowledged the immense dedication it took for Chloe to balance the rigorous demands of competitive swimming with her academic responsibilities, particularly during her high school years. Her ability to excel in both arenas while successfully completing her senior year at GRHS is a true testament to her determination and work ethic. While it wasn’t always easy, Chloe managed to find a steady rhythm—balancing schoolwork, swimming, and her social life with discipline and focus.
“Throughout my journey as a student-athlete, I found that rest and recovery are just as important as everything else in life,” she explained. “If you are fully rested and recovered, everything seems to be more manageable and you will be able to think more thoroughly.” Her methods proved successful, as Chloe will be continuing her academic and athletic career at Princeton University in the fall.
“I had been recruited to swim in college at the end of my sophomore year into junior year of high school and I’m very excited to see what the future awaits for me in this new chapter of my life,” Chloe said. “I’m looking forward to competing for Princeton University with my new teammates.”