Shaun White just misses halfpipe medal: Winter Olympics live updates
Shaun White completed his legendary snowboarding career on his own terms, flying down the halfpipe at the Beijing Olympics with the flair that’s been his trademark.
But his final event did not result in his fourth gold medal. White wiped out in his final run Friday and finished fourth in the men’s halfpipe.
(Looking for a recap of Thursday’s events? We’ve got you covered.)
“It would have been nice to just cruise in and have a great, easy first run. But I had to fight for it,” White said after qualifying seventh earlier this week. “I had to work for it. That’s been this entire season, me just grinding it out, working for it.”
Another of Team USA’s biggest stars, Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin, is back in action after DNFs in back-to-back technical races for the first time since 2011. Shiffrin will try a “reset” in the super-G.
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Shaun White concludes snowboarding career with fourth in halfpipe
ZHANGJIAKOU, China – Shaun White has more Olympic medals in the halfpipe than any other snowboarder. But in his final competition he could not get one more.
White finished fourth at the Beijing Olympics on Friday, capping off a career in which he won three gold medals but couldn’t beat progressive younger riders and his aging body.
White landed four double corks in his first run, earning him a score that was good enough for fourth after the first run. After his second run, he was still in fourth place but fell on his final run finishing his last Olympics just off the podium.
Japan’s Ayumu Hirano won the gold medal on the final run of the competition, landing two triple corks and scoring 96.0 points.
— Rachel Axon
Men’s halfpipe update: Shaun White moves closer to medal position
Australian Scotty James, the 2018 bronze medalist, also laid down a monster run, good for a score of 92.50, and he leads the men’s halfpipe competition with one final attempt remaining for each competitor.
Three-time gold medalist Shaun White had a much cleaner trip down the pipe the second time, posting a score of 82. That puts him fourth overall, ahead of countryman Taylor Gold.
Japan’s Ayumu Hirano completed another triple cork in a clean second run, but the judges gave him a score of only 91.50 so he sits in second.
–Steve Gardner
Men’s halfpipe underway: USA’s Taylor Gold on top after first run
They’ve completed one run and there’s American on top of the halfpipe standings in Beijing. But it’s not three-time gold medalist Shaun White.
Taylor Gold was the only rider to score above 80 points the first time through the order. So his 81.75 is the score to beat at the moment.
Japan’s Ayumu Hirano completed the first triple cork attempted and landed in Olympic history, but fell at the end of his opening run.
White, in the final competition of his career, is currently in fourth place heading into run No. 2. Only the best score of each rider’s three runs will count.
–Steve Gardner
Five iconic moments from Shaun…
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