Shaun White failed to make history on Tuesday, when he came in fourth place in the men’s halfpipe event at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.
White, 27, had been aiming to be the first American to capture gold medals in the same event in three consecutive Olympics. Not only did he not get the gold, he didn’t manage to crack into the top three – finishing in fourth place. During his first run, White earned a score of 35 points after a butt check and a second, harder fall. His second score of 90.25 wasn’t enough to save him.
Switzerland’s Iouri Podladtchikov picked up the gold with a score of 94.75, while Japanese snowboarders Ayumu Hirano and Taku Hiraoka won the silver and bronze, respectively.
One individual who wasn’t terribly upset about White’s defeat was his teammate and fellow halfpipe finalist Danny Davis. Davis believes that Sochi 2014 has allowed lesser-known snowboarders to have some time in the spotlight.
"I think it's great the American public and the world now knows that there are other snowboarders besides Shaun White," Davis said, according to USA Today Sports. "Shaun's, don't get me wrong, one of the most talented, one of the best riders there are, but there are guys who are just as good if not better and today Iouri was the best rider."
Since the start of the Winter Games, White has been the subject of controversy. His decision to pull out of the men’s snowboarding slopestyle competition was seen as cowardly and selfish by many, including some of his teammates and rivals. In his absence on the slope, American Sage Kotsenburg took the gold, gaining the attention of the media with his underdog story.
– Chelsea Regan
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