Veteran American snowboarder Shaun White Photo: Cui Meng/GT

Shaun White, the US veteran snowboarder on Wednesday morning qualified into the finals of men's half-pipe snowboarding, marking a strong start of his fifth Winter Olympics run. The beloved world champion has vowed to defend his gold in his "last competition." 

White, the man with countless titles - snowboarding GOAT, three-time Olympics gold medalist, most decorated athlete in X Games history, and idol to many generations - started off his Beijing 2022 journey with an unexpected turnover at Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou, North China's Hebei Province. He fell after attempting his signature trick, the double McTwist 1260, and ranked 19th. 

Nonetheless, the five-time Olympian earned himself one more final in his Olympic career after an all-or-nothing second run. White scored an 86.25 and placed himself in the 4th place, which qualified him to Friday's final.

"I'm just so happy that I put that last run down. I'm feeling incredible. You gotta fight for it, you want to get into finals and I did so I'm very happy," White told media after his performance. 

White, who is the oldest competitor in the discipline at age 35, lagged behind Japan's Ayumu Hirano, Ruka Hirano, and Australia's Scotty James, all of whom are at least eight years younger than him. He has been dealing with ankle, knee and back issues, and only recovered from COVID-19 in January, but he didn't back down or show any humility about competing with the young men who see him as an idol.

"I'm a competitor and I want to win," White said about the Beijing 2022, his fifth Olympics. "I can't show up without that feeling, so it's still there. I am going in eyes open, ready for any outcome. But yeah, I'm hoping to win."

US snowboarder Shaun White competes in the men's half-pipe competition at the Beijing Winter Olympics on February 9. Photo: Cui Meng/Global Times

White won gold at PyeongChang in 2018 to add to his two previous Olympic gold medals. His first came on his Olympic debut in Turin in 2006, aged 19, and he won his second when he defended his title in Vancouver four years later. 

The younger generation, including Chinese snowboarders, has followed White in advancing the sport since its Olympic debut in 1998. Four young Chinese snowboarders, Gu Ao, Fan Xiaobing, Wang Ziyang and Gao Hongbo competed in the half-pipe qualification with White on Wednesday morning, which sets Team China's record in this event. 

White is also very much loved among Chinese fans. After he advanced to the final at noon Wednesday, a topic related to White became a trending topic on China's Twitter-like platform Sina Weibo quickly, accumulating more than 10 million reads in a few hours.

"It's already a miracle that Shaun came to the Beijing Winter Olympics. He is pushing the limits of what a human can do and is so admirable," one of the many cheering comments read.

The star Olympian has been, undoubtedly, enjoying Beijing. On February, White posted a video in which he introduced the Olympic village to his fans. He said he liked Beijing, which feels warm and familiar. 

White confirmed the Beijing 2022 will be his last Olympics at a news conference before the Games. "I've given it my all. There have been some ups and downs on the way to get here, but through all that, I feel I've got stronger [and] gotten better."

When asked about his plans in Friday's final, White said he wants to give everything he's got in his final Olympic competition, where he could become a four-time gold medalist. 

"I'm gonna throw everything I got at it and see what happens," he said on Wednesday. "If there's a time to do it, that'll be a good time."

Global Times