Thursday night had big shoes to fill after Team USA’s electric Wednesday night showing at the 2022 Winter Olympics — which included gold medal-performances from figure skater Nathan Chen and snowboarder Chloe Kim — but a couple of Olympic legends set out to keep the winning energy going.
First, three-time gold medalist Shaun White looked to add a finishing touch to his hardware collection as he competed in his last Olympic snowboard halfpipe competition. Then, two-time Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin, who failed to finish in her first two races of these Games, turned things around in the super-G.
While White gave a heck of an effort and Shiffrin completed her run, neither Team USA athlete reached the podium.
But the early slate in Beijing was far from lacking in excitement as eventual gold-medalist, Japan’s Ayumu Hirano, showed out in the biggest way but received a lackluster score from the judges — which sent the internet into a frenzy.
If the aforementioned events weren’t reason enough to lock in, we’ve got a nightcap in the form of the U.S. women’s hockey team facing off with the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals.
We have you covered with updates of all the action as we have ourselves an evening.
White’s last Olympic halfpipe run
Shaun White removed his helmet and waved it in the air, breaking into a big smile. He fell on his third run, and his highest score of 85 on his second run wouldn’t get him to the podium. As he did at the Sochi Olympics, he finished in fourth place.
White stopped at the scoring area, hugging his competitors around him and shedding a few tears. The weight of the moment — of competing for 25 years and changing the landscape of halfpipe — landing on him.
What a moment.
Shaun White’s competitors line up to congratulate him on an incredible career. #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/SJ9kdoHHhE
— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) February 11, 2022
Shaun White after his last ever Olympic halfpipe run. pic.twitter.com/iKz2HhwlN5
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Source : espn
