White is seeing gold — again! Snowboarder Shaun White made history as he won in the men’s halfpipe competition at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
The athlete, 31, landed a 97.75 score in his final run, making him the first person to win three gold medals in the sport. The huge win also marks the 100th medal won by the United States in the Winter Games.
Shaun, unsurprisingly, was overcome with joy and emotion following his performance. He broke down in tears as he waved to the screaming crowd and hugged his family.
“Honestly I just felt it inside [that] I had it. I knew I had to put it down. It’s so hard to describe,” he told NBC. “It’s the feeling that I knew I had it but I had to still do it. And I’m working my way through the run, trick after trick, and it’s going well, better and better. And I’m riding away and I can’t tell you how amazing it felt. I’m so proud of even my first run out here.”
🐐🥇🐐🥇🐐🥇 pic.twitter.com/Sp3EW3P5DA
— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) February 14, 2018
“I was just hoping and praying that [the judges] gave it to me, you know? And I’m standing there and I’m like ‘I’m pretty sure I put it down…’ and they’re taking a while and I’m trying to not make eye contact with the judges’ booth,” he continued. “I just felt so overwhelmed, honestly. I’ve been through so much to get to this point. People talking about my age, talking about this injury I had in New Zealand I’m still recovering from… It’s all worth it now.”
Many would say White’s win is one of the biggest comebacks in sports history. In October 2017, he suffered a brutal injury when he crashed on his face during training in New Zealand. He was transported to the hospital by helicopter, needed 62 stitches and would miss a month of training. Four years ago, he also placed fourth during the Sochi Games.
Naturally, social media went bonkers when he won his latest gold medal. Fellow Olympian and freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy posted a photo of the athletes on Instagram. “CONGRATS @shaunwhite on winning your THIRD OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL (and #TeamUSA’s 100th)!!! You’re a legend and an inspiration and I’m proud to be your friend and teammate,” he wrote.
Michael Phelps, who came out of retirement for the Rio Olympics, tweeted: “Let’s go @shaunwhite !!! Way to go man!! Nothing like a good comeback right?? Redemption always feels great!! #usa.”
