Shaun White, the face of the sport after winning three gold medals, announced on Saturday that the Beijing Olympics would be his final competition and that he would retire from all competitions.
“I believe this will be my, well, this will be my last competition as well,” White, 35, said at a press conference.
White, who is competing in his fifth Olympics, had previously stated that Beijing would be his final participation on the international stage.
White, who won gold in the halfpipe at the 2006, 2010 and 2018 Olympics, said lingering knee and back injuries forced him to withdraw from events and miss training.
“This and that, all of these things are key factors that led me to this decision,” he explained, adding that other riders’ stunts were becoming “heavier and heavier.”
White stated he had recently decided to retire after getting lost and having to take a chairlift over an empty mountain by himself.
He added, “I was watching the sun go down and it just hit me.”
“It was a very sad and bizarre moment, but it was also extremely joyful,” White said, adding that he “broke down” a little before telling his friends and family about his decision.
White is one of the most experienced members of the US snowboarding squad. He stated that he was still in Beijing to compete and that he had been visualising the runs that he would make during his event on Friday.
White will compete against an ever-younger field of players eager to challenge his domination in the sport, including Ayumu Hirano, 23, of Japan, who defeated White at the Laax Open last month.
Another of his opponents, Australian Scotty James, said White’s retirement would leave a lasting impact.
