To win Olympic gold  Shaun White had to vanquish the young stars he helped create
Shaun White
Shaun White  center  and fellow halfpipe medalists Ayumu Hirano of Japan (left) and Scotty James of Australia (right) elevated their sport with their fierce final competition. (Gregory Bull/AP)
The greatest competition so far at these Olympics ended with the three medalists and rivals sharing a long hug. The embrace may have begun as obligatory congratulations to show sportsmanship  but as the Phoenix Snow Park crowd lifted its dropped jaws and the cheers grew louder  the men — Shaun White  Ayumu Hirano and Scotty James — turned sincere.
“Done ”  White  said. “And I won.”
 Olympic snowboarding champion Shaun White  shares  his  recovery from a face injury in October of last year that left  him  with 62 stitches. (Rick Maese/The Washington Post)
[ Shaun White  proves  he ’s greatest snowboarder ever  winning third gold]
 White  was in a similar position in 2014  failed and didn’t even win a medal after taking back-to-back golds in 2006 and 2010. This time   he  was assured at least a silver going into  his  last run. But if  he  had lost to Hirano  who won silver in Sochi as a 15-year-old  it might have been considered a torch-passing moment.
Hirano is 19 now;  White  is 31. James  the bronze medalist and the feistiest of  White’s  rivals  is 23. Hirano  James and other young prodigies still have time to catch  White . But the aging and evolving Flying Tomato had to stay on top. If he had lost any more ground  he would be competing against time to regain it.
[ White  apologizes for letting American flag drag on the ground after win]
The greatest athletes have a way of bending time. They have a way of manufacturing redemption. When  White  lost in Sochi   he  was emotionally absent.  He  had become too big for the sport.  He  needed to find  his  passion again. Then the new generation threatened to take over  and  his  passion wasn’t a problem anymore.
“It was motivating ”  White  said. “It’s nice to see up-and-coming riders pushing it because it helps motivate me to get to that next place. I needed that.”
“I knew what  Shaun  was going to do next  and also I knew  he  has the same tricks as I do  so I was not really relieved ” Hirano said. “I knew that  Shaun   even if he had a lot of pressure on him  would be able to do more.”
That’s how White  Hirano and James operate. They’re always looking at each other  expecting more. At times  the competition has been bitter  especially between  White  and James. Even on this day  James made veiled comments questioning whether  White  deserved a higher score than Hirano on his final run. James didn’t go into detail  but he concluded  “It could have gone either way.”
“I think it’s really healthy ” James said. “It’s awesome for us. I love watching guys in other sports ride it out. The process can be overwhelming.  Shaun  has achieved a lot of amazing things. It can be easy to discredit yourself when you’re against someone like  him .”
[After Shaun White’s perfect 100 last month  riders are judging the judges]
For now   White  stands  as usual  as the men’s halfpipe giant.  He  is savoring this moment more than the others not just because of what  he  had to come back from  but who  he  had to go through this time.
The present kept the future at bay.  White  won’t be able to do it forever  though. As wonderful as it has been to watch  his  reign  it’s becoming clear that the sport won’t suffer when  his  time ends. The evolution doesn’t diminish  his  legacy. It enhances it.
Shaun White  center  and fellow halfpipe medalists Ayumu Hirano of Japan (left) and Scotty James of Australia (right) elevated their sport with their fierce final competition. (Gregory Bull/AP)
The greatest competition so far at these Olympics ended with the three medalists and rivals sharing a long hug. The embrace may have begun as obligatory congratulations to show sportsmanship  but as the Phoenix Snow Park crowd lifted its dropped jaws and the cheers grew louder  the men — Shaun White  Ayumu Hirano and Scotty James — turned sincere.
“Done ”  White  said. “And I won.”
 [TGT]shares  [TGT]  recovery from a face injury in October of last year that left  [TGT]  with 62 stitches. (Rick Maese/The Washington Post)
[ Shaun White  proves  [TGT] ’s greatest snowboarder ever  winning third gold]
 White  was in a similar position in 2014  failed and didn’t even win a medal after taking back-to-back golds in 2006 and 2010. This time   he  was assured at least a silver going into  his  last run. But if [TGT][TGT]  had lost to Hirano  who won silver in Sochi as a 15-year-old  it might have been considered a torch-passing moment.
Hirano is 19 now;  White  is 31. James  the bronze medalist and the feistiest of  White’s  rivals  is 23. Hirano  James and other young prodigies still have time to catch  White . But the aging and evolving Flying Tomato had to stay on top. If he had lost any more ground  he would be competing against time to regain it.
[ White  apologizes for letting American flag drag on the ground after win]
The greatest athletes have a way of bending time. They have a way of manufacturing redemption. When  White  lost in Sochi   he  was emotionally absent.  He  had become too big for the sport.  He  needed to find  his  passion again. Then the new generation threatened to take over  and  his  passion wasn’t a problem anymore.
“It was motivating ”  White  said. “It’s nice to see up-and-coming riders pushing [TGT] because [TGT] helps motivate me to get to that next place. I needed that.”
“I knew what  Shaun  was going to do next  and also I knew  he  has the same tricks as I do  so I was not really relieved ” Hirano said. “I knew that  Shaun   even if he had a lot of pressure on him  would be able to do more.”
That’s how White  Hirano and James operate. They’re always looking at each other  expecting more. At times  the competition has been bitter  especially between  White  and James. Even on this day  James made veiled comments questioning whether  White  deserved a higher score than Hirano on his final run. James didn’t go into detail  but he concluded  “It could have gone either way.”
“I think it’s really healthy ” James said. “It’s awesome for us. I love watching guys in other sports ride it out. The process can be overwhelming.  Shaun  has achieved a lot of amazing things. It can be easy to discredit yourself when you’re against someone like  him .”
[After Shaun White’s perfect 100 last month  riders are judging the judges]
For now   White  stands  as usual  as the men’s halfpipe giant.  He  is savoring this moment more than the others not just because of what  he  had to come back from  but who  he  had to go through this time.
The present kept the future at bay.  White  won’t be able to do it forever  though. As wonderful as it has been to watch  his  reign  it’s becoming clear that the sport won’t suffer when  his  time ends. The evolution doesn’t diminish  his  legacy. It enhances it.