© Provided by Associated Press
Shaun White of the United States waves to crowds as he leaves the track for his final halfpipe attempt at the Beijing Olympics, Friday, Feb. 11, 2022. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
BEIJING (AP) — Shaun White’s brilliant and momentous career has come to an end. He concluded with a crash on his final halfpipe attempt, a rousing ovation and a farewell to the sport he helped establish.
A few mountains nearby, Mikaela Shiffrin finally made it to the finish of the downhill skiing hill, finishing ninth in Super-G and expressing her relief.
Without medals, the top two American stars at the Beijing Games had different emotions on Friday.
Shiffrin might have two more chances to become the first alpine skier from the United States to win three Olympic gold medals.
White’s fifth and final Olympic joust ended when he clipped the wall, landing his second trick of his third attempt. Knowing that it was the end, he took off his helmet and thanked the fans. After trying to take his fourth gold medal, he was fourth.
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Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States reacts following finishing the women’s super-G event at the Beijing Olympics on Friday, Feb. 11, 2022. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
“I’m not sad,” White admitted, though she mightn’t stop crying during an interview with NBC.
“I’m proud of what I accomplished,” he added. “And I can’t help but think that if I had gotten on the podium on the third try, I would have wanted the second. If he had been second, he would have wanted first. He is the fighter in me, I always expect more.”
White burst onto the Olympic scene 16 years ago, a teenager from suburban San Diego nicknamed the “Flying Tomato” because of his shaggy reddish hair. He won gold in Turin and another gold metal in Vancouver 2010. After finishing fourth in Sochi, he returned to the top of the podium in 2018.
In the midst of it all he became a transcendental figure.
“I’m sure every person who competed today admired him for a long time,” said Swiss bronze medalist Jan Scherrer. “It’s an amazing moment.”
Ayuma Hirano, the 23-year-old Japanese who won the gold medal, is one of them. He proved himself a worthy successor to White with an incredible last try that gave him a score of 96.
“I thought I might send him a message by showing him my trick,” said Hirano, who grew up idolizing White.
SHIFFRIN ENDS
After three competitions in Beijing, Mikaela Shiffrin crossed the finish line in alpine skiing. She finished ninth in the Super-G, far behind Swiss gold medalist Lara Gut-Behrami.
“It’s really satisfying to be here at the end, with good competition,” admitted Shiffrin. “She wasn’t skiing safe or anything like that. But I also managed to finish and that’s good for my heart. Knowing that I didn’t abandon everything I knew regarding this sport.”
Shiffrin was coming off crashing in the giant slalom on Monday and going off the track in the slalom on Wednesday — both races lasted mere seconds. Those were his best events and the ones in which he had won his gold medals, the slalom in Sochi 2014 and the giant slalom four years later in Pyeongchang.
Shiffrin might have two more individual competitions in Beijing. He will have a few days to train on the descent and decide whether to enter the competition on Tuesday.
VAN DER POEL DOUBLE
Sweden’s Nils van der Poel broke his own world record and won his second gold at the Beijing Games in the 10,000 meters, the longest race on the Olympic programme. He had already won in the 5,000.
With a time of 12 minutes and 30.74 seconds, he broke his record of 12:32.95 that he set a year ago and was nine seconds ahead of the Olympic record set four years ago by the reigning champion, Canadian Ted-Jan Bloemen. .
SHORT TRACK
Dutch Suzanne Schulting successfully defended her title in the 1,000 meter short track speed skating with a time of 1 minute 28.391. She set world and Olympic record with a time of 1:26.514 in the quarterfinals.