Shaun White wins Olympic snowboarding gold medal third in his Olympic career
Shaun White
BONGPYEONG   South Korea — The durability of snowboarding   both as an Olympic event and a sport capable of lingering on the edge of the mainstream   can now be validated by its capacity for reinvention . It has been around long enough   and grown embedded enough in cultural consciousness   to facilitate second acts .  Shaun White  was 19 and raggedy when  he  won  his  first gold medal   23 and exultant when  he  won  his  second   27 and corporate when  he  suffered a letdown and arrived at a professional fork . Wednesday afternoon on PyeongChang Halfpipe   White completed  his  competitive revival at 31 with a reinforcement and a declaration .  He  remains the unquestioned greatest snowboarder ever   and  he  is once again the unquestioned greatest snowboarder in the world . White won the third Olympic gold medal of his career   clinching his most rewarding prize with a final run of extreme daring   towering athleticism and supreme clutch . He placed himself among America ’ s greatest winter Olympians and defeated a loaded field by making the final run of the contest the best run — not only of the contest   but perhaps in the history of the sport . “ I knew I did  it   ”  White  said . “ I knew I put  it  down .” [‘ I ’ m here to put  it  down ’:  Shaun White  gives  his  all in intense halfpipe qualifying ] 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 ) In his earlier Olympic triumphs    White  could be assured none of his competitors had the ability to approach his best runs . That wasn ’ t the case Wednesday   not against 19 - year - old Japanese sensation Ayumu Hirano   Australian Scotty James and even fellow American Ben Ferguson . So   before his third and final run   White decided he had to execute a run he never had before in competition . White stood on the top of the pipe trailing Hirano   who had posted a 95 . 25 in his second run   then fallen in his third . White was the last man on the mountain . When the announcer bellowed his name   the crowd below erupted . “ I just saw him fist - pumping   and I felt it   too  ” Team USA Coach J . J . Thomas said . “ He needs this energy . He ’ s a performer   and this is his stage .” He adjusted his goggles and dropped in . He hit consecutive 1440s and back - to - back 1260s   one of those with a flair called the Tomahawk . When he crossed the line   White raised both arms in the air . White tried to stare at the judge ’ s trailer . The score flashed : 97 . 75 . White flipped his board in the air   letting it spin just like its owner . He dropped to his knees and dabbed at his face . Shaun White   a goofy hell - raiser when America first fell for him   had been reduced to tears . “ It was like   ‘ Oh my gosh  ’ ” said his father   Roger . “ It ’ s almost like he ’ s not even believing it .” Ever wonder what a McTwist is ? Here ’ s a helpful guide to some of the tricks and terms of snowboarding . ( Elyse Samuels / The Washington Post )  White  posed for pictures at the bottom of the track   stretching an American flag across  his  back .  He  walked past red - white - and - blue - clad supporters   imploring them to cheer with  his  arms . “ You ’ re an animal !” one shouted .  He  found  his  family and hugged  his  father . “ I just told  him  I loved  him   ” Roger said . “ He said   ‘ I love you   too .’ We can ’ t believe it .” There was a time when   for White   disbelief and victory had a polar relationship . He entered Sochi in 2014 as the favorite to defend his two gold medals   to continue his rise as both a halfpipe wizard and a marketable brand . He was the Flying Tomato   the carefree dude who flew the highest and spun the most . “ Sochi was so crushing because I physically had the tricks  ”  White  said . “ I emotionally wasn ’ t there .” Really   Sochi just revealed cracks .  White  had become a target for other snowboarders   maybe out of jealousy and maybe because  his  success had placed  him  on a plane above the entire sport . Some believed  he  specialized in contests and received too much acclaim for never making backcountry films . [  Shaun White  is bigger than snowboarding . That ’ s what made failure so hard .] “ He ’ s so much older now   ” Roger White  said . “  He  went through a really hard time for a while . There was a period when  he  was younger and at the top for so long . Things were pretty hard for  him  . It ’ s just been a roller coaster for a while .”  His  renaissance from earlier this calendar year may have been more remarkable than  his  rebound from disappointment in Sochi . While training in New Zealand in October   White split  his  face open attempting a double - flip 1440   a crash that required 62 stitches . The injury provided proper context for White ’ s consecutive 1440s in the final run . Halfpipe snowboarding is pushing against its limits   with pipes rising in height and tricks growing more risky . Earlier in the finals   Japan ’ s Yuto Totsuka had to be dragged off in a stretcher after landing on the lip   falling 22 feet and landing square on his back . White ’ s gold medal run in Torin   through the prism of today   looks like a halfhearted warmup . “ The moves are so dangerous now   it ’ s not like you can practice them like you used to  ” Thomas said . “ These moves are different . The consequences are so high . We just had to wait until it was game time .” And when the time came   White delivered . With the gold medal assured   all that remained was sorting out the place the run would take in the sport ’ s annals . “ I think   personally   it ’ s the best run in the history of the sport  ” Thomas said . “ It ’ s the coolest thing I ’ ve ever seen .” “ Gosh   man   I think that ’ s the best run that ’ s ever going to be done  ” said Swiss rider Patrick Burgener   who finished fifth . “ It ’ s going to be hard to do better .” There was not consensus . Hirano   the silver medalist   also threw consecutive 1440s . James   who won bronze   hinted cryptically about a glitch in White ’ s run . “ There were some details I was expressing to the judges before the last score  ” James said . “ But that is what it is . Shaun and Hirano both had amazing runs . It could have gone either way .”  White  took on all comers and beat them   raising the bar yet again in a sport he has owned for a dozen years .  White  revealed the seriousness of  his  intent Tuesday in the qualifying round   when  he  unleashed a 98 . 5 - point masterpiece in  his  final run   even though  his  first run had been plenty to push  him  into the field . Riders typically play it safe in such situations   saving their best tricks for the final   careful to only whet the appetite of the judges . Still    White  threw down the best run of the day . “ I ’ m here to put it down  ” White proclaimed . [ How to watch snowboarding at the 2018 Winter Olympics ] In the final   White stood atop the pipe for his first run immediately after watching James   the feisty Aussie who wears red mittens in the shape boxing gloves   put down the best run of the day to that point   a 92 . 00 . White responded with a monstrous 94 . 25   which he punctuated by ripping off his helmet and chucking it into the sky . “ He ’ s a psycho  ” said Ferguson   who took fourth . Hirano   who posted a 99 . 00 in competition earlier this year   took over the top spot with his second run   executing consecutive 1440s en route to a 95 . 25 . So   when White stood at the top of the pipe a second time   he was chasing . White responded with a furious beginning to his run   leading off with a 1440 and then landing another . But then   trying to land one of his trademark moves — the Tomahawk — White fell on his backside . His third run would be no victory lap . It would be only victory   genius in nature   the latest and maybe sweetest triumph of a career exploding into a second act .
BONGPYEONG   South Korea — The durability of snowboarding   both as an Olympic event and a sport capable of lingering on the edge of the mainstream   can now be validated by its capacity for reinvention . It has been around long enough   and grown embedded enough in cultural consciousness   to facilitate second acts .  [TGT]was 19 and raggedy when  [TGT]  won  [TGT]  first gold medal   23 and exultant when  [TGT]  won  [TGT]  second   27 and corporate when  [TGT]  suffered a letdown and arrived at a professional fork . Wednesday afternoon on PyeongChang Halfpipe   White completed  [TGT]  competitive revival at 31 with a reinforcement and a declaration .  [TGT]  remains the unquestioned greatest snowboarder ever   and  [TGT]  is once again the unquestioned greatest snowboarder in the world . White won the third Olympic gold medal of his career   clinching his most rewarding prize with a final run of extreme daring   towering athleticism and supreme clutch . He placed himself among America ’ s greatest winter Olympians and defeated a loaded field by making the final run of the contest the best run — not only of the contest   but perhaps in the history of the sport . “ I knew I did  [TGT]   ”  White  said . “ I knew I put  [TGT]  down .” [‘ I ’ m here to put  [TGT]  down ’:  [TGT] White  gives  his  all in intense halfpipe qualifying ] Olympic snowboarding champion  [TGT] White  shares  his  recovery from a face injury in October of last year that left  him  with 62 stitches . ( Rick Maese / The Washington Post ) In his earlier Olympic triumphs    White  could be assured none of his competitors had the ability to approach his best runs . That wasn ’ t the case Wednesday   not against 19 - year - old Japanese sensation Ayumu Hirano   Australian Scotty James and even fellow American Ben Ferguson . So   before his third and final run   White decided he had to execute a run he never had before in competition . White stood on the top of the pipe trailing Hirano   who had posted a 95 . 25 in his second run   then fallen in his third . White was the last man on the mountain . When the announcer bellowed his name   the crowd below erupted . “ I just saw him fist - pumping   and I felt it   too  ” Team USA Coach J . J . Thomas said . “ He needs this energy . He ’ s a performer   and this is his stage .” He adjusted his goggles and dropped in . He hit consecutive 1440s and back - to - back 1260s   one of those with a flair called the Tomahawk . When he crossed the line   White raised both arms in the air . White tried to stare at the judge ’ s trailer . The score flashed : 97 . 75 . White flipped his board in the air   letting it spin just like its owner . He dropped to his knees and dabbed at his face . Shaun White   a goofy hell - raiser when America first fell for him   had been reduced to tears . “ It was like   ‘ Oh my gosh  ’ ” said his father   Roger . “ It ’ s almost like he ’ s not even believing it .” Ever wonder what a McTwist is ? Here ’ s a helpful guide to some of the tricks and terms of snowboarding . ( Elyse Samuels / The Washington Post )  White  posed for pictures at the bottom of the track   stretching an American flag across  his  back .  He  walked past red - white - and - blue - clad supporters   imploring them to cheer with  his  arms . “ You ’ re an animal !” one shouted .  He  found  his  family and hugged  his  father . “ I just told  him  I loved  him   ” Roger said . “ He said   ‘ I love you   too .’ We can ’ t believe it .” There was a time when   for White   disbelief and victory had a polar relationship . He entered Sochi in 2014 as the favorite to defend his two gold medals   to continue his rise as both a halfpipe wizard and a marketable brand . He was the Flying Tomato   the carefree dude who flew the highest and spun the most . “ Sochi was so crushing because I physically had the tricks  ”  White  said . “ I emotionally wasn ’ t there .” Really   Sochi just revealed cracks .  White  had become a target for other snowboarders   maybe out of jealousy and maybe because  his  success had placed  him  on a plane above the entire sport . Some believed  he  specialized in contests and received too much acclaim for never making backcountry films . [  Shaun White  is bigger than snowboarding . That ’ s what made failure so hard .] “ He ’ s so much older now   ” Roger White  said . “  He  went through a really hard time for a while . There was a period when  he  was younger and at the top for so long . Things were pretty hard for  him  . It ’ s just been a roller coaster for a while .”  His  renaissance from earlier this calendar year may have been more remarkable than  his  rebound from disappointment in Sochi . While training in New Zealand in October   White split  his  face open attempting a double - flip 1440   a crash that required 62 stitches . The injury provided proper context for White ’ s consecutive 1440s in the final run . Halfpipe snowboarding is pushing against its limits   with pipes rising in height and tricks growing more risky . Earlier in the finals   Japan ’ s Yuto Totsuka had to be dragged off in a stretcher after landing on the lip   falling 22 feet and landing square on his back . White ’ s gold medal run in Torin   through the prism of today   looks like a halfhearted warmup . “ The moves are so dangerous now   it ’ s not like you can practice them like you used to  ” Thomas said . “ These moves are different . The consequences are so high . We just had to wait until it was game time .” And when the time came   [TGT] delivered . With the gold medal assured   all that remained was sorting out the place the run would take in the sport ’ s annals . “ I think   personally   [TGT] ’ s the best run in the history of the sport  ” Thomas said . “ [TGT] ’ s the coolest thing I ’ ve ever seen .” “ Gosh   man   I think that ’ s the best run that ’ s ever going to be done  ” said Swiss rider Patrick Burgener   who finished fifth . “ It ’ s going to be hard to do better .” There was not consensus . Hirano   the silver medalist   also threw consecutive 1440s . James   who won bronze   hinted cryptically about a glitch in [TGT] ’ s run . “ There were some details I was expressing to the judges before the last score  ” James said . “ But that is what it is . Shaun and Hirano both had amazing runs . It could have gone either way .”  [TGT]took on all comers and beat them   raising the bar yet again in a sport [TGT] has owned for a dozen years .  [TGT]revealed the seriousness of  [TGT]  intent Tuesday in the qualifying round   when  [TGT]  unleashed a 98 . 5 - point masterpiece in  [TGT]  final run   even though  [TGT]  first run had been plenty to push  [TGT]  into the field . Riders typically play it safe in such situations   saving their best tricks for the final   careful to only whet the appetite of the judges . Still    [TGT]threw down the best run of the day . “ I ’ m here to put it down  ” [TGT] proclaimed . [ How to watch snowboarding at the 2018 Winter Olympics ] In the final   White stood atop the pipe for his first run immediately after watching James   the feisty Aussie who wears red mittens in the shape boxing gloves   put down the best run of the day to that point   a 92 . 00 . [TGT] responded with a monstrous 94 . 25   which [TGT] punctuated by ripping off [TGT] helmet and chucking it into the sky . “ [TGT] ’ s a psycho  ” said Ferguson   who took fourth . Hirano   who posted a 99 . 00 in competition earlier this year   took over the top spot with his second run   executing consecutive 1440s en route to a 95 . 25 . So   when White stood at the top of the pipe a second time   he was chasing . White responded with a furious beginning to his run   leading off with a 1440 and then landing another . But then   trying to land one of his trademark moves — the Tomahawk — White fell on his backside . His third run would be no victory lap . It would be only victory   genius in nature   the latest and maybe sweetest triumph of a career exploding into a second act .