Turin, Vancouver, Sochi, Pyeongchang: Those are the places that Shaun White has roamed over 16 years as one of the leading Olympians of this era. Each time, he has stolen the show. Three times, he has carried away the gold.
On Friday, on a nondescript mountainside more than 100 miles northwest of Beijing, White, now 35, was making his final three drops into an Olympic halfpipe. Whether he has one more magical run in him is the reason so many were tuning in.
White’s solid but unspectacular opening run scored 72, putting him fourth of nine competitors.