Twenty years after his Olympic debut in Italy, Shaun White is back… as a spectator.
The three-time Olympic gold-medalist retired from snowboarding after the 2022 Games, and he’s spending this winter at Milan Cortina as a fan and commentator for NBC.
Watching the men and women on the halfpipe can’t be easy for an athlete who dominated the competition for 16 years. So, late Monday night after all the events ended, NBC’s team took White and a few cameras out to his comfort zone.
Watch the emotional segment, which aired Thursday on “Primetime in Milan.”
“I can’t believe it’s been 20 years since I first competed in Torino in 2006 for my first medal,” White said. “It’s been a little bittersweet, but still sweet (watching instead of competing this year).”
As he stared down at the halfpipe in Livigno before making a run, White made a confession.
“I’d be lying to say I didn’t dream of potentially competing here,” he said.
White decided to retire following the 2022 Beijing Olympics, where he just missed the podium and finished fourth. He won gold in 2006, 2010 and 2018 in the halfpipe, and hasn’t missed an Olympics since his 2006 debut.
As White made his way down the mountain into the halfpipe, it was nothing but pure joy for the 39-year-old from San Diego. Even after a few years away, he looked like he hadn’t lost a step.
“It’s never been this quiet before,” White said with a laugh as he landed jump after jump.
“That was amazing. I miss it. I miss it so much,” White said after his run. “Man, what a night. I have to stop blubbering so I can get out of here.”
Snowboarder Chloe Kim said she was disappointed not to win gold after taking halfpipe silver, but she congratulated Korea’s Choi Ga-on and Japan’s Mitsuki Ono on finishing first and third.
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