Champion proves he’s still White hot
Lucky last spot helps American to record third Winter Olympics gold
THE pressure was real. So were the tears – of joy, relief, redemption.
This is why Shaun White keeps going.
Standing atop the halfpipe on a grey Wednesday morning at slushy Phoenix Snow Park with his hopes for a third gold down to one final shot, White never wavered.
“I honestly knew I had it,” White said. “I knew I had to put it down.”
The stakes left him little choice. Rising star and heir apparent Ayumu Hirano had snatched the lead during the men’s halfpipe final, throwing a spectacular epic second run to put a portion of White’s Olympic legacy at risk. Not that it mattered. One deep breath, a halfdozen near flawless tricks – including back-to-back 1440s, a feat he never landed in competition before these finals – and one seemingly interminable wait later White’s return to the top of his sport was complete.
When his score of 97.75 flashed, more than two points clear of Hirano and almost six clear of Australian bronze medallist Scotty James, it all seemed worth it.
The long road back from disappointment in Sochi four years ago.
The painful recovery from a crash in New Zealand last year.
The notion the man who for so long served as a pioneer had been surpassed by the next generation. Not quite yet.
“He wears the weight of the country and the world on his shoulders for this,” said J.J. Thomas, White’s longtime coach. “This is our Super Bowl. But bigger because it’s only once every four years and he stresses out.” It hardly looked like it. White’s stomped third run made him the first American male to win gold at three separate Winter Olympics.
“What can I say? I won the Olympics,” White said. “Three gold medals. I was just hoping they’d give it to me.”
James, White and Hirano have eyed this showdown on the world stage for months and Hirano shrugged when asked if he was concerned about the 98.50 White put up on Tuesday to earn the right to go last in the finals.
“I know what he does and he knows what I do,” he said. Namely, put on a show. White put together a dazzling first run, throwing a single 1440 early that scored a 94.25 to storm into the lead.
Hirano responded immediately, uncorking back-to-back 1440s. When the crowd exploded as his 95.25 posted, he simply shrugged, unfazed.
Hirano missed an opportunity to go even higher when he washed out on his final run.
James put together an unspectacular last set, setting the stage for White.
He called the opportunity to go last his “good luck spot”.
And with good reason. He went last during his gold medal runs in Turin in 2006 and Vancouver in 2010.
This moment required something more.
And he delivered.
THIS IS OUR SUPER BOWL. BUT BIGGER BECAUSE IT’S ONLY ONCE EVERY FOUR YEARS AND HE STRESSES OUT SHAUN WHITE’S COACH J.J. THOMAS