PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (AP) — It was expected to be a coronation: snowboarder Shaun White, shredding the halfpipe in an epic performance that won him Olympic gold at Pyeongchang four years after a devastating loss in Sochi and just four months after a nasty fall during practice sent him to a hospital.
But as he basked in the comeback story of the Winter Games, allegations of sexual misconduct resurfaced, first on social media, then at White's victory press conference. Eager to focus on his win, White waved away the accusations with a choice of words that made things worse, not better.