Olympics
The 2022 Winter Olympic Games will be held in Beijing, China, and viewers may be watching a familiar athlete. The 35-year-old snowboarder Shaun White is training for his potentially fifth Olympic Games.
- Related: Why Snowboarders Hate Shaun White
White is a three-time Olympic gold medalist, winning in 2006, 2010, and 2018. Additionally, White holds the world record for the most X-Games gold medals and most Olympic gold medals by a snowboarder. Halfpipes are White’s forte, as he has won gold in the event three separate times. Within the X-Games, White has won a medal every year since 2002.
According to the Wall Street Journal, among the snowboarders representing the US team in the 2018 Winter Olympics, the average age was 27 years old. Despite White’s age, his Olympic performance has proven to be rarely affected by uncontrollable factors. While White was training for the 2018 Olympics in New Zealand, he crashed into the edge of a superpipe resulting in him receiving 62 stitches in his face. Nevertheless, White qualified for the 2018 US Olympic Team.
Surprisingly, White’s awards do not necessarily earn him respect among the snowboarding community. While competing, White is reportedly introverted and intense. “I didn’t really enjoy riding with the other riders because it was like, they’re my direct competition,” Shaun White states according to The Washington Post. Some in the snowboarding community do not respect White for this simple reason, as they feel he disregards their sport’s “laid-back” aspect.
White’s announcement to attempt to return to the Olympics has been met with mixed reviews. What do you think about this?
