Snowboard legend Shaun White may attempt the terrifying but potentially gold-winning trick at the Winter Olympics that landed him in the hospital years ago.
White, who is arguably the world’s best snowboarder, has consistently broken records and defied laws of gravity with his stunts since the beginning of his Olympic journey 16 years ago. Now, at the age of 35 and on his final Olympic ride, White is the oldest U.S. snowboarder ever to compete in halfpipe at the Games.
The Team USA star flipped himself to his third gold medal at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics after landing back-to-back double cork 1440s.
Although stunts become more difficult with age, repeating the same tricks won’t be enough to relive that same Olympic glory one more time.
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2022 Winter Olympics
White’s rival in Beijing, Japan’s Ayumu Hirano, recently topped his gold-winning move after landing a triple cork 1440 in competition, becoming to the first snowboarder to ever do so.
White told NBC News’ Tom Llamas that he attempted the trick in 2013 but took a hard fall and ended up in the hospital.
“I think I was two and a half flips and realized I wasn’t in a good position,” White said. “I opened up and caught the top of the wall.”
The devastating clip, which was featured in White’s 2014 documentary “Russia Calling,” showed him summersaulting through the air before tumbling down the halfpipe and laying motionless in the snow.
Although the triple cork 1440 is a stunt that White says he is not looking forward to, he knows he needs it to top his competition this time around.
White fell during his first run in Beijing but qualified to compete for his fourth gold medal after sticking all his stunts on his second run on the course.
