Shaun White did it again. The so-called flying tomato put together an epic final run to claim his third gold medal in Olympic men's halfpipe Tuesday night (Wednesday morning in China). The win also marked the 100th Gold medal for the United States in its Winter games history.
White trailed Japan's Ayumu Hirano going into the last of the three runs in the halfpipe final, but he ended up putting together an insane run that included consecutive 1440-degree spins to win. The judges rewarded Shaun with a 97.75 score, while Hirano finished second with an impressive 95.25.
It was an emotional comeback for White after Hirano had nailed a ridiculous series of stunning flips and twists to score a 95.25 on his second run, one point better than White had posted earlier. However White delivered arguably the run of his life to win his first Gold medal since 2010.
“I just felt so overwhlemed. Honestly Ive been through so much to get to this point. People talking about my age, talking about this injury I had in New Zealand, Im still recovering from and it’s all worth it now,” an emotional White said in his post-ride interview.
With the win, Shaun has become the first American male to win gold at three separate Winter Olympics. Speedskater Bonnie Blair had done it for the ladies in the past, winning gold in the 1988, 1992 and 1994 Games.
If you missed it all live, check out the White’s insane run (below).
https://twitter.com/_/status/963610913642233856
https://twitter.com/_/status/963623594864541699
