VANCOUVER, B.C. – During the Winter Olympics in Vancouver yesterday, U.S. snowboarding champion Shaun White
again showed the world he is a pioneer in his sport.
After one run in the halfpipe finals, White had already locked in the gold medal so he decided to entertain the crowd with a final run that included a move called the Double McTwist 1260.
For those new to the sports take out your calculator and divide 1260 by 360 = 3.5 then you will see what the major buzz is about.
To the blaring rock tune ‘Paradise City’ by Guns and Roses, the red-haired snowboarder known as the ‘Flying Tomato’ pulled off a move that included 3 ½ mid-air turns and a board grab; a maneuver he had been practicing in private while preparing for the games.
White nailed the move that could be called the ‘Tasmanian Devil’ for an Olympic record score of 48.4, wowing the crowd and impressing his competition and U.S. Snowboarding Coach Mike Jankowski.
“Shaun’s a living legend with what he’s done already and with what he’s going to continue to do and really push this sport to the next level,” Jankowski said. “It’s the All-American way. It’s being a pioneer and taking those steps into the unknown.”
“It’s impossible to beat Shaun unless he falls,” said runner-up and silver medal winner Peetu Piioroinen of Finland.
Before this final run, White had earned the gold after intentionally running a safer routine and posting a score of 46.8; a score none of his 11 opponents came close to beating.
The Flying Tomato adds this gold to his collection of hardware that includes a halfpipe gold in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.
White was psyched after the run and talked to reporters. “I don’t think I’ve been this nervous at a competition before,” said White. “It’s the Olympics and there’s so much on me to do well. I’m glad I had the goods to deliver. We try to break the boundaries and see what we can do. I think we’re just tapping into what is possible. I wish I could predict the future. We have to go create it. It’s a cool position to be in.