The history of Olympic snowboarding can’t be told without mentioning Shaun White.
A three-time gold medal recipient, the 37-year-old, reflects on his time competing for the United States and how much he learned from the process. Something he didn’t quite grasp at the beginning of his career.
“It was amazing. I really had the honor to do that five times, which is wild. To be honest, I didn’t really get it the first time I went to the Olympics,” White said, per Ryan Gaydos, Fox News. “I was like, cool, I’m here, I’m trying to win this, you know? Me, me, me, which [is] what the sport is. It’s like my tricks, my practice hours, my competition, my runs, my whatever, my sponsors, all these things, and then you get home and you realize, after I won the Olympics, people were like, ‘You did it. You made America proud, you made us proud.’ And I didn’t realize that until afterward.”
White retired following the 2022 Olympic Games in an emotional bid.
Thanks for everything, @shaunwhite.
LEGEND. #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/4j3ESvjvmY
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 11, 2022
White was 19 when he had his first Olympic bid. It was a maturation process that took time to appreciate. He wasn’t a stranger to competition, however.
He participated in the X Games where he has won a medal every year since 2002 — totaling 18.
“So, I would say, by my second, third, fourth, fifth Olympics, I was really like, ‘OK, we’re here, like, it’s Team USA.’ I’m cheering for sports that I would never have. … You’re really a part of a team when snowboarding is such an individual sport,” White added. “Now we’re part of this team. I always loved the Olympics for that. I was honored to do that.”
[Fox News]
