Shaun White declared the end to his snowboarding career on Thursday. He has been a part of the USA Olympic team since 2006 when he was only 19 years old. In his attempt to win his third and final gold medal he fell short, although he stood proud of his accomplishments.
White said, “It’s done and I’m so relieved.” While acknowledging his struggles to record another jaw-dropping run, White added, “I did what I could and I’m proud of fourth.”
Before devoting his time to snowboarding, White began with skateboarding and even gained the recognition from legend Tony Hawk. He received a gold medal in 2007, silver in 2005 and bronze in 2008 in the Summer X games. Skateboarding became a part of the summer Olympics but only in the park and the street. As White was a specialist in the vert, he decided not to compete. If the addition of skateboarding had gone differently White could have become both a Summer and Winter Olympian. The Olympics has not yet stated that they will be adding the vert, so White may never get the opportunity to show off his skills.
The 2022 Winter Olympics was held in Beijing, and this was Whites fifth time competing. He broke the record this year for being the oldest half pipe rider at 35. White was an innovator for the sport of snowboarding creating and completing tricks that people deemed as impossible. He created the Double McTwist 1260 which is three and a half twists and two flips.
Looking back on his successful career, in 2006 White successfully won his first gold medal. He earned a 46.8 in his first run in the final putting him in first place. In 2010, he won his second gold medal with a score of 48.4. In 2014, White’s goal was to receive another gold medal in the half pipe so, he withdrew from the slope-style. He was unsuccessful in his attempt as he did not even place on the podium. He received a 90.25 which was nowhere near the scores of the podium placers. Shortly before the 2018 Olympics, White faced a terrible fall resulting in a visit to the hospital. He needed the ride of his life to redeem himself from being unsuccessful in the previous year. He ended up receiving his third gold medal with a score of 97.75.
Shaun White, through his successes has clearly established himself as a legendary Olympian. He has received 23 medals in snowboarding and skateboarding, 18 of those medals were received in the winter edition. Although he will be missed, he is ready to move on to better things.
Wow! So happy to make it through into finals!! This being the last Olympic qualifying event of my career, I definitely felt the pressure. So pumped I pulled that last run off. See you in finals 💪 @Olympics @TeamUSA 📸 @usskiteam pic.twitter.com/dYMAuYrvoh
— Shaun White (@shaunwhite) February 9, 2022
White recently started a snowboarding and active lifestyle brand called Whitespace. He even competed with a Whitespace board in his final run in the 2022 Olympics. After announcing his retirement, White said “I don’t want to beat these guys anymore. I want to sponsor them.” He wants to help guide them and provide them with guidance on what he has learned throughout his career. Through working with several brands and dealing with sponsorships throughout his career, he has the potential to make his business very successful. Now that he is retired, he will spend his time focusing and developing his brand.