One of the greatest careers in the history of the Winter Olympics came to an end on Thursday night when snowboarder Shaun White said farewell to the games and competitive snowboarding.
We knew that White was retiring at the end of the 2022 Winter Olympics. With that, we knew that his final run in the halfpipe would be the final time we’d ever see him at the Olympics. The question was, would he go out with a medal? He entered his final run in fourth place. He needed a score of 87.25 to at least be in medal position.
It didn’t happen. White fell during his last run and finished the event in fourth place. In front of him were gold medalist Ayumu Hirano from Japan, silver medalist Scotty James from Australia, and bronze medalist Jan Scherrer from Switzerland.
If there was any silver lining behind his fall, it’s that he got to soak in the tributes as he glided down the mountain.
What an Olympic career. What a legacy.
Thank you, @ShaunWhite. pic.twitter.com/rtKjwJkBkN
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) February 11, 2022
White was emotional at the end of his run.
https://twitter.com/BourbonAndBeer/status/1491967541240995840
He was not the only one, as the tributes came in after his performance.
Thanks for everything, @shaunwhite.
LEGEND. #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/4j3ESvjvmY
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 11, 2022
The ride of a lifetime.
Thank you, @shaunwhite. #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/Lk1AG2lIt6
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) February 11, 2022
To a career that will last a lifetime. Thank you @shaunwhite. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/kS5JPArNWu
— The Players' Tribune (@PlayersTribune) February 11, 2022
I remember watching @shaunwhite in his first Olympic run, completely amazed by his talent and inspired to reach higher…Now I got to watch his final run with my newborn son. Absolute legend. #Olympics2022 #BeijingOlympics #Gold
— Aaron Benka (@AaronBenka) February 11, 2022
Thank you for making me understand a sport; I never knew existed @shaunwhite #Shaunwhite #Olympics2022 https://t.co/lyi3pxImi4
— nikki (@ottie29) February 11, 2022
Thank you @shaunwhite #USA 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/XnhyqGERKx
— Matt Smith (@MattSmith21) February 11, 2022
Ug, I'm not crying, you're crying! @shaunwhite what a blast to watch @NBCOlympics
— MT Eisner (@mteisner1) February 11, 2022
Im back soon! But to say this now. The GOAT competed at 35 with “favoritesl”that were wrongly not him. 16 yo. He made this event a sport! Olympics picked it up!4th not too bad when so many others were not even 1 When u won 1st 🥇@shaunwhite you will always be the Pioneer 🏂
— Gina ❤️ (@dixielandlady) February 11, 2022
Thanks for the memories and Gold Medals @shaunwhite. Helped me fall in love with the Olympics. 🐐🇺🇸
— Travis Skarvi (@travisskarvi) February 11, 2022
A legendary career. 🐐@shaunwhite x #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/ot6GF8zv9w
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 11, 2022
Indeed, a lot has changed since White won the gold medal in his 2006 Olympic debut.
Going forward, there will be plenty of other athletes to cheer for in snowboarding, as well as the other winter sports. But the end of White’s competitive career represents the definite end of an era.
