On 14 February 2018, at Phoenix Snow Park in PyeongChang, Shaun White landed the run of his life. His final score of 97.75 made him the first snowboarder to win three Olympic gold medals.
Trailing after two runs, then a flawless last drop
White opened the 12-man final with a solid 94.25, then fell on his second attempt and scored just 55.00. Japan's Ayumu Hirano seized the lead with back-to-back 1440s, marked at 95.25.
That left White last in the order, needing a perfect run to answer. He took one deep breath and delivered a half-dozen near-flawless tricks, including back-to-back 1440s he had never landed in competition before, plus his own double McTwist 1260.
When the 97.75 flashed, it stood more than two points clear of Hirano and almost six clear of bronze medallist Scotty James of Australia.
Redemption in the U.S. team's 100th Winter gold
White had won halfpipe gold at Turin 2006 and Vancouver 2010, but left Sochi 2014 without a medal. This victory made him the first American man to win gold at three separate Winter Olympics, and it was the United States' 100th Winter Olympic gold.
Recalling his mindset before the last drop, White told reporters he had thought: "Savor this moment. Because you just might win the Olympics." Of the long wait for his score, he added that it "was awful and amazing at the same time."
Four years later, White returned for a fifth Games at Beijing 2022, finishing fourth in an emotional farewell. PyeongChang remains the peak of a career that redrew snowboarding's record books.
