“I think I’ve decided this will be the last competition,” Shaun White said in a press conference on Saturday. The 35-year-old American snowboarding legend had already announced that Beijing would be his last Olympics (he’s competed in the past five Olympic Games and won halfpipe gold at three of them), but until now, he’s never said anything about competition altogether.
At the press conference, White mentioned lingering health troubles such as a recent knee surgery as well as ankle and back problems. “All these little things adding up are taking away from days of practice that I would normally have,” said White. “And then I’m watching the tricks get heavier and heavier… and it just hit me, these are the signs.”
Shaun White put in a gold medal-winning performance in Pyeongchang in 2018. Does he have another one in him this year? Photo: Wikimedia Commons
White will compete in the men’s snowboard halfpipe event later this week, with the qualifications on February 8 at 8:30 p.m. PST, and the finals on February 10 starting at 5:30 p.m.
“It’s been a beautiful run,” said White. “Let’s see this through and see what’s next.” While you’re waiting for the snowboard halfpipe later this week, check out all of Shaun White’s gold medal runs in the video above, starting with his 2006 run in Torino at the age of 19.
