Shaun White said the Beijing Olympics will be the last competition

BEIJING (AP)

Flying Tomato wants this to be its last takeoff.

Three-time snowboarding gold medalist Shaun White made it clear on Saturday that the Beijing Olympics aren’t just his last, the 35-year-old American plan to retire from the sport he has put on the international map after next week’s semi-finals.

“In my mind, I decided this would be my last contest,” he said.

White has been a transcendent force for skiing, its most recognizable face in nearly two decades – and it’s not just because of his mop-red hair that inspires his nickname.

Those buckles have since been cut, and White is now an older statesman of the sport, hobbling into his fifth Olympics after a season ended with an ankle injury, a match with COVID-19, an unscheduled trip to Switzerland to secure his Olympic spot. and, most recently, an unplanned training session during his time in Colorado in January.

“I’m holding myself back, it’s fortunate that I’m still here at this age,” he told a 45-minute press conference.

White won gold in her Olympic debut in 2006, which was only the third time snowboarding has been held at the Winter Olympics. The sport has grown in popularity with him at the forefront and he won gold medals again in 2010 and 2018. He also has 15 X-Games medals – 13 gold medals in skating snow and two gold medals as a skater.

White will hardly be favored for gold in the second half of Wednesday when the final is held on Friday. Japan’s Ayumu Hirano, who was runner-up to White in 2018, became the first to throw three buttons in the contest in December, and the three-flip trick probably won’t be in White’s hand.

White said he’s swinging between trying to enjoy every moment of the final big week of his life and knowing there’s work to do as halftime opens up for Sunday practice.

He said he decided he was ready in preparation for the Beijing Olympics, a moment that crystallized when he got lost on a mountain during a soul-sucking training stop in Austria. November.

“A sad and eerie moment,” he said. “But it’s also fun. I reflected on what I’d done and watched the sun go down and said, “Well, next time I’m here, I won’t have to stress about learning tricks or worry about some kind of competition. “

USE CRUISE NORWEIGIAN

Norway is going for the second straight time topping the number of Winter Olympics medals after a golden start.

Cross-country skier Therese Johaug won the first gold medal of the Beijing Olympics in the women’s 15 km figure skating, and Johannes Thingnes Boe took the lead against French and Russian competitors in the event. the last meters of content mixed relay to give Norway gold in its first biathlon.

Johaug fought wind and frigid temperatures to ski from a group of four chasers. She has 10 world championship titles but has never won an individual Olympic gold medal before.

Boe, Quentin Fillon Maillet of France and Eduard Latypov of the Russian team left close range after the final volley and competed for position until the last minute, when Boe sprinted to win.

Norway, the relay country as World Cup leaders, also had strong performances from Marte Olsbu Roeiseland and Tarjei Boe. But they finished early in the race when Tiril Eckhoff struggled on the range.

ON THE BOARD

China won the first gold medal of the Beijing Olympics in the short-speed medley team relay in the event’s Olympic debut.

Wu Dajing edged Italy’s Pietro Sighel by 0.016 seconds – or half a skate blade – to win gold. Hungary won bronze.

Qu Chunyu, Fan Kexin and Ren Ziwei joined Wu to win the historic victory. A handful of Chinese fans at the Capital Indoor Arena cheered and waved tiny flags.

China is the next gold medal winner, leading this season’s World Cup standings.

RECORD ONE TIME

Irene Schouten awarded the mighty Dutch a gold medal in First speed racing event of the Beijing Olympics, breaking the 20-year Olympic record in the women’s 3,000 metres.

Skating in the final 10 pairs, Schouten had a brilliant final lap with a win time of 3 minutes 56.93 seconds. That broke the previous Olympic mark of 3:57.70, set by Germany’s Claudia Pechstein at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.

In an event-appropriate match, Pechstein skated in the opening pair to become the oldest female athlete in Olympic history at the age of 49. The German came in last, trailing the winner. 20 seconds.

THE NEW KING OF HILL

Walter Wallberg of Sweden disappointed “The King” when he brought home the gold medal in the men’s team event.

Wallberg looked almost shocked as his score of 83.23 flashed across the board, beating defending Olympic champion Mikael Kingsbury of Canada on a chilly night. Wallberg earned points for his speed in the smooth and technical skiing style of Kingsbury, who was nicknamed the “King of the Moguls.”

This was Wallberg’s first major win. The 21-year-old Swedish player has never even won the World Cup.

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