Home

Olympics

WATCH: Shaun White and Ayumu Hirano Share an Emotional Embrace After Final Run at Beijing Winter Olympics 2022

Published 02/11/2022, 7:55 AM EST

Follow Us

via Reuters

With Shaun White leaving the snowboarding, the time has come for a new athlete to step up; and, that guy can be Ayumu Hirano. He won his first-ever gold medal in the half-pipe competition at the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022. Significantly, the duo shared the stage during the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics as White embraced Hirano after his victory.

The sensation from Japan produced one of the finest displays of snowboarding, doing tricks that no one imagined. Even though White could not wrap up another medal, he hugged Hirano and the duo shared a heart-warming moment.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Shaun White proud of Ayumu Hirano

White scored 85.00 in his second run to bring the house down. With the expectations high for his final Olympic run, White could not complete his final run, falling to the ground as it brought an end to his Olympic dreams. An emotional White slid down the half-pipe as fans gave him a stunning ovation. Moreover, he hugged Hirano at the end of the results and the two legends shared an iconic moment. Hirano is a two-time silver medalist and finished in second place at the 2018 Winter Olympics. It was a moment of redemption for the sensational wonder kid from Japan.

Likewise, with White ending his career, Hirano is the new benchmark for snowboarders to reach. Thus, it was a special moment for everyone involved with the sport. As for White, he is happy to bring snowboarding across the globe as the godfather of the sport, bows down. Winning three Olympic gold medals in his career, White has no regrets but remained emotional and soaked in the adulation he received.

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest Olympics stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

WATCH: Shaun White’s Rival Ayumu Hirano Dominates Halfpipe to Win Gold With Insane Run at Beijing Winter Olympics 2022

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Hirano time

As for Hirano, he produced a sensational run that included triple cork, incredible 1440s, and other insane tricks to the delight of fans in attendance. Just like White, who produced a sensational final run four years back to claim his gold, Hirano did the same with Scotty James grabbing onto the gold medal until the final run. Yet, the Australian’s dreams of a gold medal faded away as Hirano scored 96.00 in his final run.

via Reuters

To sum up, it is an end of an era, as well as, the start of a new one. White had dominated snowboarding for a long time and his passion would keep him in the sport for years to come. Be it snowboarding or skateboarding, he can do both. Likewise, Hirano can do both as well! The similarities are off the charts.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

WATCH THIS STORY- Nathan Chen gets gold: U.S. figure skater dazzles to win at 2022 Winter Olympics

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Jacob Gijy

1,956Articles

One take at a time

Jacob Gijy is a US Sports and NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Gijy finished his Masters in Counselling Psychology and worked in a hospital for 2 years before his passion for sports compelled him to find his way to sports journalism. A fan of the great Tim Duncan, he is always ready to pick up a debate with anyone who does not offer the center the respect he deserves.
Show More>