Will snowboarder Shaun White be participating in the 2018 Winter Olympics?
The 2018 Winter Olympics are coming up fast, so it’s time for us to know who’s who in Pyeongchang this year. Skier Lindsey Vonn is back and the ShibSibs figure skating duo is here to steal the show again. But what about that other big name? That guy with the hair who snowboards and was nicknamed the Flying Tomato? What about Shaun White?
There was talk that the two-time Gold Medal Olympian was skipping out on these games — especially after his one-year hiatus, poor placement (15th place) at the most recent X-Games, and a crash that left him badly hurt just two months ago. After all this time off and an unlucky series of events, White bought himself a ticket for Pyeongchang, South Korea, and has been training ever since.
So the answer is…maybe. Shaun White is still in the qualifying stages for the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Nothing has proven to be easy for him, though. White’s last time at the 2014 Winter Olympics left him off the podium completely, a first for the world-renowned snowboarder. That was “a bummer on many levels,” White recalls. This year won’t be any less of a challenge, considering White is one of the oldest competitors in the snowboarding qualifiers, and would be one of the oldest competitors at the games.
"Now I’m 30, I just turned 30," White told Men's Journal. "So I finally feel like, okay, I understand and I have the time and the grasp and the team of people to help me accomplish this."
Whatever the outcome, it’ll be great to see White try-try again! He’s one of the best snowboarders of all time, and even if there’s no medal, onlookers should consider themselves lucky to see White do what he does best. The Olympics and qualifiers are that much more exciting with him in the mix, so we can’t wait to see what he’ll do with that snowboard of his.
