Shaun White’s Olympic career has come to an end. On Friday, the 35-year-old snowboarder competed in the halfpipe finals and finished in fourth place, meaning he missed out on winning his fourth gold medal. On the final run of the event that took place in Beijing, White fell while attempting a trick, eliminating his chances of taking home a medal in his final Olympic Games. After the event, White got very emotional when talking about his career.
“It’s been a journey, I’m just so happy, and thank you all from the bottom of my heart,” White said, crying, per NBC Olympics. “Snowboarding, thank you. It’s been the love of my life … The future for me is so exciting, there’s so much I want to do in my life. So much to do, so much to live for, this is just the beginning for me.”
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White then appeared on The Olympic Show on Peacock and was asked about how he felt before the competition. “It was incredible,” he said. “Obviously, I had announced before arriving here in China that this would be my last Olympics. Saying it was one thing, but to live in that moment, ride down that halfpipe and put down some solid runs, to see the cheer of the crowd and my fellow competitors waiting there to give me some kind words, it was just a beautiful day. Obviously, I wish I had really nailed that podium spot, but I’m so proud of my career and my life in snowboarding. This was a perfect send-off. I’m very happy.”
White won his first Olympic Gold medal in 2006 when the Games were in Torino. He won his second in 2010 in Vancouver, and the third came in 2018 in Pyeongchang. White also won 13 Winter X-Games gold medals, making him the most decorated snowboarder in Olympic and X-Game history. During the Olympics, White told reporters he decided to retire.
“I was in Austria. The pipe wasn’t the best conditions. I had this ankle issue which prevented me from competing further at the Mammoth qualification,” White said, per CNN. “I had this knee issue from where I had surgery in the summer before, and I injured my back working out randomly. And on the chairlift ride, the mountain was closing and no one was around, and I was watching the sun go down, and it just hit me. I was like, ‘this is it, these are the signs.’”
