Shaun White avoids Olympic disaster with big second run in men’s halfpipe

Shaun White’s swan music obtained off to a dicey begin, however it's going to final two extra days with a probability for one final medal.

The three-time Olympic gold medalist needed to sweat it out within the males’s halfpipe qualifying spherical Wednesday in Zhangjiakou, China. He wanted to ace his second run after falling within the first, however got here by way of within the clutch to advance to Friday’s ultimate.

The 35-year-old White, who introduced shortly after arriving that these Beijing Olympics could be his final snowboarding competitors and that he would retire upon their conclusion, recorded an 86.25 in his ultimate qualifying run. That was ok for fourth place, locking him in as one of many 12 snowboarders who will compete for gold.

Shaun White crashed throughout his first run within the qualification spherical.

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He then wanted to ace his second run to qualify.

AP

He has already introduced that he'll retire following the Olympics.

AP

The 35-year-old recorded an 86.25 in his ultimate qualifying run.

EPA

White is a three-time Olympic gold medalist.

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He later stated he “was pleased” he put down the ultimate run.

REUTERS

White lets out a sigh of reduction after clinching a spot within the males’s halfpipe finals following a powerful second run.

AFP by way of Getty Photos

“I had a variety of time to kill [between runs], a variety of ideas going by way of my head and a variety of stress,” White stated on NBC. “So I'm simply so pleased that I put that final run down. I’m feeling unbelievable. You bought to struggle if you wish to get into finals and I did, so I’m very pleased.”

Fellow Individuals Taylor Gold (83.50, seventh place) and Chase Josey (69.50, twelfth) will be a part of White within the finals, whereas Lucas Foster completed seventeenth. Japan’s Ayumu Hirano, who has gained the silver medal in every of the final two Olympics, posted the highest qualifying rating of 93.25.

White obtained his first run obtained off to a powerful begin with back-to-back 1080s. However two tips later, he was not capable of stick the touchdown on a Double McTwist 1260. He corrected that in his second run.

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White’s Olympic debut got here with a gold medal in Turin in 2006, and he adopted up by profitable halfpipe golds in Vancouver in 2010 and Pyeongchang in 2018. He completed in fourth place, in Sochi in 2014.