American snowboarding legend Shaun White announced on Saturday that the Beijing Olympics (February 4-20), where he covets a fourth halfpipe title for his fifth participation, will be his last competition at age 35.
“It’s my last competition, usually after an Olympic year, I take an ‘off’ season, because there’s so much pressure to qualify, but this will be my last competition, which makes it a rather special,” he explained at a press conference.
“I made this decision when I was in Austria this winter, the snow ramp where the snowboarders do their tricks was not in the best condition, it was a tough time, my ankle hurt , in one knee too, I hurt my back, ”he continued.
“I got lost on the slopes, I found myself on a chairlift to return to the station which was closing and that’s when I said to myself + It’s a sign, it’s over +. It was a moving moment, I cried, it was joyful too, ”he assured.
The half-pipe event of the 2022 Olympics begins on February 9 with the qualifications and the final will take place on February 11.
To qualify for Beijing, in the American team which is the best in the world, White, nicknamed the “Red Zeppelin” in reference to his red hair and the height of his jumps, had to wait until mid-January after a winter disturbed by injuries and the Covid in particular.
“I realize that the tricks are getting stronger and stronger, I still love competition, because it’s in my nature, but I’m happy to no longer have the stress of competition, to go and discover tracks and not to get stuck,” he stressed.
White won the Olympic halfpipe title in 2006 in Turin, 2010 in Vancouver and 2018 in Pyeongchang, just weeks after suffering serious injuries following a heavy fall in training. In 2014, he finished just off the podium (4th).
White won a record 13 gold medals at the Winter X Games, the premier winter extreme sports event.
His record also includes two victories at the Summer X Games, in skateboarding.
