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SPORTS Thursday 15 February 2018

Shaun White White’s coach, JJ Thomas.
“And I don’t know if any-
one else in this world has
Continued from Page 17 beat Ayumu Hirano, the the mental strength to
5-foot-2, 19-year-old from overcome that fear and
On the winning trip, White Japan who has been lay it down on the world
got the tough stuff out of asked, quite often, exactly stage.”
the way early, dropping when he was going to beat The debate is now on
straight into the halfpipe, Shaun White. about where White, now
flying nearly 20 feet above Australian Scotty James, 31, stands in the pantheon
it and whipping his body who made news at the of Olympic stars, or sports
around twice while going start of the games by com- stars in general.
head-over-heels two times plaining about judging, fin- Even with the tantalizing
for the first 1440. He landed ished third with a run that prospect of him heading to
high enough on the wall to included three double- the Summer side for skate-
gather sufficient speed to cork 1260s; it was a per- boarding’s debut in 2020 ,
travel to the other side and formance that would’ve Shaun White, of the United States, jumps during the men’s then possibly returning to
essentially do a mirror im- won all but a handful of all halfpipe finals at Phoenix Snow Park at the 2018 Winter Olympics Winter in 2022, he’ll never
age of the first trick. the contests ever held up in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018 match the nine gold med-
From there, it was simply a through last December. Associated Press als Usain Bolt collected, the
matter of staying upright. But it was Hirano, who now beyond any halfpipe. White repeatedly sexually 28 overall amassed by Mi-
He performed what’s has back-to-back Olympic White would be the first harassed her, forced her to chael Phelps or the 13 that
known as the Sky Hook — silvers, who set the stakes to admit that a lot of that watch pornography and cross-country skier Ole Einar
a 20-foot vault above the for these games by becom- fame came because of told her how to get her hair Bjoerndalen of Norway has
deck in which he bent ing the first man to land the the Olympics. cut. The suit was settled won.
himself into the shape of back-to-back 14s at the So the win wasn’t so hard and on Wednesday night Then again, White only gets
a comma, while grabbing Winter X Games last month. to put into perspective. White called it “gossip” one event in which to shine.
the board and tweaking it He did it again on his sec- “It means everything to and said “I’m proud of who And he puts his life on the
up toward his backside to ond run under a slate-gray me,” he said. I am,” then later apolo- line every time he steps into
show judges the style they sky in Pyeongchang to set It means everything be- gized for dismissing the mis- the arena.
demand. His final trick was the mark (95.25) that White cause of the journey that conduct allegations with “As an athlete, to see a hu-
one he patented: the Dou- would have to beat. White essentially began Feb. 12, “a poor choice of words to man being accomplish ev-
ble McTwist 1260, in which did it. Shortly after his win- 2014 — the day after an describe such a sensitive erything that’s expected of
he took off from the wall ning score came up to overwrought, frenzied trip subject.” him, it’s insane,” said Jake
for two flips with 1 ½ twists, make him the winner of to the Sochi Games ended He rediscovered a love Burton, the snowboard
grabbing the board and America’s 100th Winter in a fourth-place finish that for his sport that had gone maker and one of the
practically wrestling it over Games gold medal, White left many people, including lacking, and was revving sport’s founding fathers.
his head to complete the was hugging friends and White himself, wondering if up the tricks to get him Nobody has been harder
jump and stick the landing. family and sobbing, al- he wanted to do this any- back to the top when he on himself over the years
He knew he’d done it, but most uncontrollably. It was more. bashed his face on the side than White. But after head-
the wait — about 120 sec- the sort of emotion rarely He decided to go for it and of the halfpipe during a lining a day on the halfpipe
onds — was agonizing. seen from the man who changed up everything — training run in New Zealand that won’t soon be forgot-
“I was trying not to make burst onto the scene as the coach, sponsors, PR. . He still has stitches in his ten, he was in no mood to
eye contact with the judg- ebullient redhead shred- He put his guitar-playing tongue from the accident. argue. “I’m really proud of
es,” White said. der dude, then grew into career on hold at around “He ripped his face in half, myself, which is something
The score came up. A a multi-platform megastar the time one of the band more or less, and you can I never say,” he said. “This
97.75. It was enough to whose light cascades well members sued him, saying still see the scars,” said meant the world to me.”q

Back on track: Bobsledder Justin Olsen set to resume sliding

By TIM REYNOLDS the U.S. in a sled driven by pushed by Nathan Weber,
AP Sports Writer the late Steven Holcomb, Carlo Valdes and Olympic
PYEONGCHANG, South ventured out since his lap- medalist Chris Fogt.
Korea (AP) — Justin Olsen aroscopic surgery. Other than for workouts
has used his time off wisely, “I feel really good,” Olsen and meals, Olsen has
and he thinks he is ready to said. “It’s nice to get back largely been recuperat-
get in a sled again. to the track.” ing in his room during the
The U.S. bobsledder who Olsen is one of three U.S. Olympics. That’s given him
underwent an emergency men’s drivers at the Py- plenty of time to check
appendectomy shortly eongchang Games, along out every other race and
before the start of the Py- with Codie Bascue and training session on the slid-
eongchang Olympics will Nick Cunningham, and ing track, and he’s hopeful
be in his sled Thursday for they all will be competing that the extra studying will
the start of official two- in the two- and four-man pay off.
man training. events. “I’ve been watching the
Olsen was at the Alpensia In two-man, which will be luge races and skeleton
Sliding Center on Wednes- contested Sunday and training from my phone
day with U.S. coach Brian Monday, Olsen will be in while resting in bed and
Shimer, checking out the the sled with Evan Wein- I’m ready to get back
venue. It was his first time stock. In four-man, sched- on ice,” Olsen said. “I’ve
that Olsen, a member of uled for Feb. 24 and 25 — spent my time here in the In this Dec. 3, 2011 file photo Justin Olsen, from the United
States, stands on the podium after placing third at the two-
the 2010 four-man gold- the final two days of these village and it feels good to men bob race at the Bob World World Cup competition in Igls,
medal-winning team for Olympics — he will be be out and back here.”q near Innsbruck, Austria.
Associated Press