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  • Shaun White Says Sochi’s Not His Last Olympics

    Tuesday was a tough day for champion snowboarder Shaun White. White failed to reach his goal of becoming the first male American to win three straight gold medals in an individual event.

    While his time in Sochi didn’t land White the prize he was aiming for, he did say that he might be coming back in a few years to give it yet another try.

    The 27-year-old veteran athlete told The Today Show that his career won’t be ending in Sochi.

    When asked if he’d come back for the 2018 games in PyeongChang, South Korea, White replied saying, “I think so.”

    If he does decide on competing in South Korea, the San Diego native will be 31-years-old.

    The snowboarder finished in fourth place in the men’s halfpipe final this year. Louri Podladtchikov from Switzerland stole the gold from White while Ayumu Hirano, 15, and Taku Hiraoka, 18, both of Japan, took home silver and bronze.

    White still hasn’t been able to let the sight of winning gold out of his head.

    “I thought about it plenty of times, just countless, running it through my head what I could have done,” he said.

    “I’m happy, though. I move on from here. I don’t think it makes or breaks my career this one night, but definitely a disappointment.

    Before White competed on Tuesday, he did create a message for his fans.

    It seems he’ll need their support more than ever now.

    Image Via YouTube

  • Shaun White Relinquishes Halfpipe Throne

    Shaun White was the reigning champion of the men’s halfpipe event at the Winter Olympics since 2006. However, at the end of the competition in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, he had to step down from his throne when he was unable to grab the top spot on the podium.

    In the 2006 Torino and 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, White’s first run became the winning run of the competition. However, in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, this was not to be. White’s first run had him falling down twice, leaving him with a score that was low for his standards. His second run had no falls, but it was riddled with close calls. He garnered a score of 90.25 for his second run, which was better than his first score. However, his final marks were not high enough to land him on the podium. For the first time in his eight years competing at the Winter Olympics, Shaun White finished the men’s halfpipe event without a medal on his neck.

    White was in the run to make history if he had won the Olympic gold medal in this event. He was aiming for a third consecutive win in this event to be recognized as the first American to do so.

    The top spot at the podium for the Winter Olympics men’s halfpipe event now belongs to Iouri Podladtchikov, representing Switzerland. He executed his trademark maneuver, the YOLO flip and finished with a score of 94.75. Fifteen year old Ayumu Hirano followed close on Podladtchikov’s heels with a high-flying run. The young Japanese’s performance was rewarded with a score of 93.50 and the silver medal. Hirano’s teammate, Taku Hiraoka bagged the third spot on the podium with a run that earned him a score of 92.25.

    Iouri Podladtchikov’s YOLO flip involves two aerial somersaults and a rotation of 1,440 degrees. Shaun White had also mastered this maneuver, and in other events executed it even better than its creator. Shaun performed this maneuver in his Olympic run, but failed to defend his throne from Podladtchikov’s performance.

    The former champion of the Winter Olympics men’s halfpipe event said that he was happy to take what happened for what it was and move on. He ended by saying it just wasn’t his night.

    Image via YouTube

  • Shaun White Will Leave Sochi Empty-Handed

    Shaun White Will Leave Sochi Empty-Handed

    The snowboard king has been dethroned. Shaun White was vying for his third straight gold medal in Men’s Halfpipe at the Sochi Winter Games on Tuesday night. But this time, the Flying Tomato did not even medal. Iouri Podladtchikiov, known as I-Pod in the snowboarding community, won the gold with a score of 94.75.

    I-Pod, who is only 15 years old, was born in Russia, but currently lives in Switzerland. His token move the YOLO (you only live once) is a two aerial somersault with a rotation of 1,440 degrees.

    Both the silver and the bronze medals were won by Japanese snowboarders. Ayumu Hirano took home the silver and Taku Hiraoka won the bronze. White never seemed to get comfortable with the course on Tuesday. His best run, his second, scored only a 90.25 which was good for fourth place.

    There is some controversy surrounding the event, like many events so far at the Sochi Games. American skiier Bode Miller complained of the snow conditions during the Men’s Downhill Finals on Sunday. A favorite coming into the race, Miller finished a disappointing 8th. White also pulled out of Sunday’s slopestyle event, after two years of preparation, due to safety concerns regarding the course’s construction.

    Last night, some of the riders expressed concerns regarding the condition of the halfpipe. At one point, there was even talk of delaying the event due to loose snow which makes tricks dangerous. However, crews set out last night and today to fix the issues, and the event went on as scheduled. Some riders had a tougher time than others navigating the halfpipe, several riders wiped out, including Americans Greg Betz and Danny Davis who finished 10th and 12th.

    White was the last snowboarder to go in the event. He knew what he needed to win the competition. However, he had two mistakes on the final run. This will be White’s only time in three Olympic appearances that he will go home without a medal.

    Image via Twitter

  • Shaun White Bails on Olympic Slopestyle Competition

    Snowboarding legend Shaun White is bailing on the Olympic slopestyle event, citing concerns over safety. On Monday, Norwegian Torstein Horgmo broke his collarbone on the slopestyle course in Sochi, prompting a wave of concern over the course’s construction. Olympic officials have altered the course in response, reducing three jumps by a combined height of six feet, but the alterations haven’t been enough to allay fears.

    “After much deliberation with my team, I have made the decision to focus solely on trying to bring home the third straight gold medal in halfpipe for Team USA,” White told USA Today. “The difficult decision to forego slopestyle is not one I take lightly as I know how much effort everyone has put into holding the slopestyle event for the first time in Olympic history, a history I had planned on being a part being a part of.”

    White will continue to compete in the halfpipe, the competition for which he won gold medals in 2006 and 2010.

    “With the practice runs I have taken, even after course modifications and watching fellow athletes get hurt, the potential risk of injury is a bit too much for me to gamble my other Olympics goals on,” White said, having tested the course along with the other competitors.

    While the other competitors must be dealing with White’s leaving the competition with combined relief and trepidation, Olympic officials find themselves battling yet another publicity problem. “There have been a few changes made, but that’s perfectly normal,” claimed IOC spokesperson Mark Adams. “I don’t think there’s any issue. A lot of the athletes have said they are very happy, they like the venue. I’m not a technical expert, but I understand there’s been some minor changes up there the past few days but that would be normal, particularly for a new sport.”

    White has battled injuries in the run-up to the Olympics, suffering a sprained ankle in the halfpipe that forced him to forego the first round of slopestyle qualifying, as well as an injured shoulder and wrist on the slopestyle course. White claimed, however, that those injuries were “blown out of proportion.”

    Image via YouTube

  • GoPro Demos Shaun White’s New Halfpipe Trick

    GoPro camera has posted a clip of U.S. snowboarding champion Shaun White, as he perfects a new halfpipe trick called the frontside double-cork 1440 in preparation for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games.

    The frontside double-cork 1440 is similar to White’s Double McTwist 1260, though it adds another half revolution of rotation inside two head-over-heels flips. White commented on the trick earlier this month, “Just that subtle a change, it throws the whole axis of the trick off. It’s a completely different thing.”

    GoPro built a private pipe for the two-time Olympic gold medalist in October, to help him train for his 2014 season. Using the GoPro HD HERO3+ camera and GoPro app, White was able to review his footage onsite and make any adjustments necessary to master a frontside double 1440.

    Here’s the clip:

    During the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games in 2010, White’s most difficult halfpipe maneuver was the McTwist 1260, which he’d landed during his second run, as he’d already had locked in a gold medal during his first run:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak_29sPEMc0

    White said he isn’t weary of anyone seeing his new 1440, and commented, “Just because you can see the trick doesn’t mean it’s easy to duplicate.”

    Commenting on the fact that other riders haven’t been doing any tricks bigger than a double cork 1260, White added, “It’s time to just do those tricks (the 1440’s). If you’re going to do them, do them now. It’s a new one I’m hoping to slide into the run.”

    The $399.99 GoPro HD HERO3+ Black Edition features video resolutions up to 4K, 12MP photos up to 30 frames per second, built-in Wi-Fi, SuperView and Auto Low Light modes. The camera is waterproof to 131’/40m. Other frame rates include 1440p48, 1080p60, 960p100 and 720p120, 4Kp15 and 2.7Kp30.

    This GoPro clip of cyclist Kelly McGarry backflipping over a 72-foot canyon is insane:

    Image via YouTube.

  • Shaun White Wins X Games Gold Again

    Though Shaun White has garnered a reputation as heavy partier when he’s not on the slopes, he’s still most famous for dominating the snowboarding competition at the X Games. White achieved a perfect score in his final snowboard superpipe run last year, and it seems as though he has kept up his skills, despite his other troubles.

    At this year’s X Games in Aspen, Colorado, Shaun White made history (again) by winning the snowboard superpipe competition for the sixth year in a row. White now has 15 X Games gold medals, including some for skateboarding in the summer X Games.

    White bragged about the accomplishment via Twitter:

    White’s superpipe run was the same one that received a perfect score at last year’s X Games. Though he only scored a 98 total this year, it was enough to put the gold medal out of reach for his competitors.

  • Shaun White Gets Drunk, Goes Buck Wild In Nashville

    Olympic snowboarder Shaun White was charged with public intoxication and vandalism early Sunday morning after destroying a phone at the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel (which an employee witnessed) and then pulling a fire alarm, which required an evacuation of the building. White tried to leave in a cab before police were called, but a guest stopped the driver and a scuffle ensued between White and the guest. The gold-medalist fell and hit his head and required medical attention at a local hospital before police arrested him. He was released on Monday afternoon.

    The police department’s press release reads, “Responding officers Sunday reported that White appeared to be extremely intoxicated and smelled strongly of alcohol.”

    Image: Metropolitan Nashville Police Department

  • Shaun White Won’t Be Competing At X Games This Year

    Shaun White fans will just have to wait a little longer to see their beloved redhead compete, because he doesn’t have any plans to defend his skateboard title this year at the X Games. The 25-year old is reportedly just going to take it easy for a while, according to his publicist.

    “This has been a lively year so far; he’s now getting back on his skateboard and is excited for summer.”

    White, who is proficient in the sports of skate/snowboarding and won a gold medal at last year’s X Games for his Skateboard Vert skills, is also a spokesman for several companies, including Stride Gum and American Express. Being so highly sought after means his schedule is packed with non-sports activities, and some think he’s just gotten burned out. But that doesn’t mean he’s abandoned his first love, or that he’s not thinking about his future. He just doesn’t do things half-assed.

    “I was kind of expecting him not to skate this year,” X Games rival Pierre Luc Gagnon said. “I know Shaun’s been in New York and I know he doesn’t have a ramp to skate right now. I definitely had a feeling that [X Games] didn’t seem like his main priority, and he’s not the kind of guy to show up and wing it.”

    Of course, TMZ has reported that Shaun is currently dating Bar Refaeli, and if that’s true we can’t blame the guy for taking some much-needed down time.