Sochi Olympics 2014 VIDEO: Top 5 ‘Can’t Miss’
Internationally renowned snowboarder Shaun White’s quest for gold in a second event has ended before it even began.
After taking gold in the halfpipe in dominating fashion in the previous two Winter Olympic Games, White was scheduled to take on a second event, slopestyle, at this month’s Games in Sochi. On Wednesday, however, less than two days before the Opening Ceremony, White surprisingly pulled out of the competition.
“After much deliberation with my team, I have made the decision to focus solely on trying to bring home the third straight gold medal in halfpipe for Team USA,” White said in a statement.
The 2014 Winter Olympic Games were to be the first Olympics to feature slopestyle as an event. In the statement, the San Diego native expressed regret that he would not be a part of the inaugural competition.
“The difficult decision to forego slopestyle is not one I take lightly as I know how much effort everyone has put into holding the slopestyle event for the first time in Olympic history, a history I had planned on being a part being a part of,” White said.
The extreme sports legend’s withdrawal thins a field that has already taken a hit thanks to a collarbone injury Norway’s Torstein Horgmo suffered Monday. The injury, which occurred when the medal contender fell off a rail during practice, forced Horgmo to withdraw, as well.
Several competitors have expressed concern over the safety of Sochi’s slopestyle course in recent days, especially after the injuries to Horgmo and Marika Enne of Finland, who crashed on the final jump Tuesday and suffered a concussion. White himself jammed his left wrist in a fall Tuesday, but the injury was described as minor.
It seems, however, that the threat of injury on the course was significant enough to cause the 27-year old White to reconsider his decision to participate in the event.
“With the practice runs I have taken, even after course modifications and watching fellow athletes get hurt, the potential risk of injury is a bit too much for me to gamble my other Olympics goals on,” White said in his statement.
White may still make history at these Olympics. If he takes gold in the halfpipe, he will become the first American man to win the same event in three consecutive Winter Olympics.
While White may believe he had good reason to remove himself from the event, his decision has been met with some derision from other competitors. Canadian Maxence Parrot expressed his feelings about White’s withdrawal via a Tweet that has since been deleted.
“Shaun knows he won’t be able to win the slopes, that’s why he pulled out. He’s scared!”
It’s understandable that Parrot and his fellow competitors are a little miffed about White’s decision not to compete. After all, as the de facto face of snowboarding and one of the most popular athletes at these Olympics, White would have brought notoriety to the rival that could defeat him and extensive media coverage to the event as a whole.
Regardless, the event will go on without its star attraction, and White will be left to continue his supremacy in the halfpipe. His quest for gold in a second event will have to wait four more years.
Dylan Sinn is a freelance contributor for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSinn or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
Photo Credit: Getty
