Shaun White
Shaun White is an American snowboarder and skateboarder who won three Olympic gold medals in the men’s halfpipe, in 2006, 2010, and 2018.
2006 Winter Olympics: The Winter Olympics held in Turin, Italy, featuring Shaun White’s first Olympic halfpipe gold medal. White won his first Olympic halfpipe title at age 19 in Turin.
Snowboard halfpipe scoring: A judging system that scores a halfpipe run for execution, difficulty, amplitude, variety, and progression. These criteria explain how White’s complete runs earned top marks.
San Diego: A coastal city in Southern California where Shaun White grew up. White began skateboarding in the region before pursuing snowboarding.
Snowboarding at the Olympics: The Olympic program of snowboarding events, introduced at the 1998 Winter Games. White became one of the sport’s most recognizable Olympic champions.
2010 Winter Olympics: The Winter Olympics held in Vancouver, Canada, where Shaun White won his second consecutive halfpipe gold. His final run included the celebrated Double McTwist 1260.
Amplitude (snowboarding): The height an athlete reaches above a snowboard halfpipe’s lip during an aerial trick. White’s unusually high airs made his runs visually distinctive and increased trick potential.
Tony Hawk: An American skateboarder known for technical vert skating and the first documented 900 in competition. Hawk mentored White and helped connect his skateboarding talent to a wider audience.
Action sports: Sports emphasizing individual skill, aerial movement, and performance, including skateboarding and snowboarding. White helped bring action-sports aesthetics into mainstream sports celebrity.
2018 Winter Olympics: The Winter Olympics held in PyeongChang, South Korea, where Shaun White won his third halfpipe gold. White reclaimed the Olympic title in a close final.
Snowboard trick: An aerial or ground maneuver performed on a snowboard, often involving rotation, inversion, or a grab. His competition results depended on combining difficult tricks into a clean run.