Shaun White saw the end coming through an Austrian blizzard, a moment of total clarity in a blur of white.
White is the Kelly Slater of snowboarding, a man who has transformed and transcended his sport, taking it to the edge of mainstream.
He was a raggedy teenager when he struck the first of his three Olympic golds in Turin 16 years ago, now the ‘Flying Tomato’ is competing against rivals almost half his age.
On a chairlift he made his mind up, whatever happened this Olympics it would be his final competition. To paraphrase Groucho Marx … ‘Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a … tomato”
“The mountain was closing, the conditions weren’t great and no one was around, and I was watching the sun go down,” he said. “It just hit me. I was like, ‘this is it, these are the signs’.
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“I had this ankle issue and I had this knee problem from where I had surgery in the summer before, and I injured my back working out randomly.
“It was a very sad and surreal moment but very joyous as well. I reflected on all the things I’ve done, and looked at that sunset going down, and I thought, ‘next time I’m here I won’t be stressed about learning tricks. I won’t be worried about some kind of competition.
“I broke down a little, got very emotional and called friends and family, manager, and told them where I was at. They all agreed, ‘hey, beautiful run. Let’s see what’s next’.
“This will be my last call, it will be my last competition, which is pretty special too.”
Decision made White, that ultimate sporting free spirit and goofy hell raiser, is approaching his final act with the pressure lifted.
His victory in PyeongChang was one of those enduring Olympic stories. The laidback teen from Turin had transformed in the thirty something corporate businessman.
Shaun White celebrated a memorable gold medal in PyeongChang
The halfpipe gold seemed at the mercy of Japanese teen sensation Ayumu Hirano, with Australia’s Scotty James and White’s team-mate Ben Ferguson viewed as the medal contenders.
The champion was the last man to drop, his name announced as the crowd erupted.
“I was remarkably relaxed, on that stage, with that energy, he was always going to perform,” recalled team coach JJ Thomas.
White didn’t disappoint – executed a dizzying run he’d never done in competition, nailing back to back 1440s and consecutive 1260s, included with a flair called the Tomahawk that was a trademark. You didn’t need to understand it to know it.
“My riding speaks for itself,” he added. “I’ve always been trying to push and progress and do the next biggest thing and try to pick up on what trends are happening within the sport and be ahead of the curve.
“I love having fun. I love being a part of it and reminiscing about old times and things like that. I’m still incredibly competitive in any situation.
“I’m the year of the tiger, which is currently now, and my characteristics with personality traits are pretty spot on, how competitive I am and how much I want to be in that limelight and do what I came here to do.
“My fifth time. I’m like pinching myself how lucky I am to be here still at this age.”
White wasn’t revealing what tricks he had in store for this final act, though he was coy about whether he’d attempt the triple cork, a trick that Hirano has almost made his own this season.
“It’s great to have the big heavy tricks but if you can’t put it in with the rest of the run, it doesn’t really work,” he added. “You need a whole set of cards to make a hand, it’s not just having that one card.
“The goal has been to just squeeze every bit of fun and excitement and joy out of this experience and I’m having as much fun as I can.
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“I really want to finish my career strongly on my own terms and put down some solid runs. If I could do that, I’ll be very happy.”
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