Halfpipe gold at the Vancouver 2010 Games already belonged to Shaun White before his last run. His first ride was clean and strong, and it scored 46.8 — a mark no rival could match. Then he chose to ride again.
Gold already sealed, then a victory lap that changed the sport
At Cypress Mountain on February 17, White stood at the top of the pipe with his title already safe. He talked with his coaches for a minute, the result certain. Then he dropped in and launched the Double McTwist 1260, a trick he had never landed in a contest before.
The run scored 48.4. That widened his lead over Finland's Peetu Piiroinen, who took silver on 45.0, and American Scott Lago, the bronze medallist. The trick was new: it added a flip and 1260 degrees of spin when most riders were still learning double cork 1080s.
A signature trick that moved the record books
The Double McTwist 1260 added an extra flip and two more turns to a hard move. White did it not from need but to leave his mark. His first score of 46.8 had already won; the 48.4 was almost two points higher.
Vancouver was his second Olympic title in a row, after gold at Turin 2006 at age 19. A third came at PyeongChang 2018 with a record 97.75, making him the first snowboarder to win three. He then said goodbye with a fourth-place finish at Beijing 2022.
"I wanted a victory lap that would be remembered," he told reporters afterwards. "I achieved that."
The pipe at Cypress Mountain fell quiet as the score flashed. White had not just kept his crown. He had shown what a champion's last act could be.
