After Dominating the snowboard competition for two decades, Shaun White is retiring at the end of the Beijing Winter Olympics. At 35, ‘The Flying Tomato’ cannot match with new-age snowboarders as he feels restricted by his age. Hence, he is calling it quits and drawing the curtain on the most decorated snowboarding career America has ever seen.

Ahead of his final appearance, White spoke about a moment of reflection he had. Back in Austria, when he saw Ayumu Hirano land a triple cork, it struck a chord in White.

Triple cork is one of the hardest tricks to do in the snowboarding playbook. Hence, watching his young counterparts execute it with ease, White was left with a mixed bag of emotion.

The moment Shaun realized the end was near…

Throughout his career, Shaun landed some of the most iconic moves in snowboarding history. For the same, he won three Olympic gold medals; one each in 2006, 2010, and 2018. Now, he can become the first snowboarder to win gold medals in three decades if he manages to win in Beijing next month.

However, Japan’s Ayumu Hirano poses a significant threat. His skill and technique are unmatched as of right now and it would take a miracle for White to defeat him, in all honestly. Notably, it was this quality from the others that forced White into a moment of reflection, considering retirement back in Austria.

“It was sort of like I was sad. But then, it was like a joyfulness because I was sitting there thinking: ‘Like, wow, what a run. You knew this day would come, like you know it’s inevitable this going to happen at some point, and to know that today is that day. This decision has been made,” said White.

Every sporting icon has a day when it finally ends. A respected figure around the world, White’s influence on the sport is unmatched. But when the going gets tough, it takes wisdom to step back and accept the reality.

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The growth of the sport

It is no secret, snowboarding has seen unprecedented fame and popularity in recent times. Surely, amongst several other reasons for development, White deserves the credit as well. His breathtaking leaps, death-defying tricks, and unmatched consistency have attracted millions from across the world. However, having elevated the competition, he now might not be able to keep up with it.

“The sport leaped more than it had in 10 years. It’s gone to another level, and it’s going to be at a different level from now on,” said White.

Sadly, this is it for White in the Olympics. Going out with gold would be great, but regardless of what happens, White has no regrets, as he bows out as the GOAT of snowboarding.

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