American, Shaun White, tops the podium yet again
Snowboarding icon wins gold in men’s halfpipe
PYEONGCHANG, Korea, Republic Of — The pressure was real. So were the tears — of joy, relief, redemption.
This is why Shaun White keeps going. This is why the snowboarding superstar returns to the Olympics again and again, a journey that’s seen him evolve from teenage phenom to global brand to icon.
One with a perpetual target on his back and impossible expectations to meet.
Standing atop the halfpipe on Tuesday night 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 out of White’s hand during the men’s halfpipe final — throwing a spectacular epic second run to vault into the lead and put a portion of White’s Olympic legacy at risk.
Not that it mattered. One deep breath, a half-dozen near flawless tricks — including back-to-back 1440s, a trick he never landed in competition before this final — 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.
“He wears the weight of 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.”
White’s stomped third run made him the first American male to win gold at three separate Winter Olympics.
Speedskater Bonnie Blair earned gold in the 1988, 1992 and 1994 Games.
The gold was also the 100th overall gold for the United States in the Winter Games — all four U.S. golds at these Winter Games have been won by snowboarders.
“What can I say? I won the Olympics,” White said. “I was just hoping they’d give it to me. I was pretty sure I put it down, but it took a little while . . . just trying not to make eye contact with the judges.”
“He’s an amazing athlete and he’s achieved a lot of great feats in his career and today he did so again,” James said. “It’s really cool.”