After another historical run in Beijing, snowboarding legend Shaun White announced that this year’s Olympics will have been his last. As the only three-time Olympic gold medalist in the history of snowboarding, White’s career has been one to watch and fans around the world are heartbroken to see it come to an end. In a recent statement posted to his Instagram account, White thanked his family, friends, supporters and competitors for pushing him to succeed.
Looking Back
White was born in San Diego, Calif. on Sep. 3, 1986. He is the youngest of four children and the son of Cathy and Roger White. While White had a seemingly normal childhood, it was soon turned upside down when skateboarding legend Tony Hawke discovered him at the age of 9. After befriending and mentoring the young White, Hawke transformed him into a professional skateboarder by the age of 16. White has won numerous competitions for skateboarding, including the Summer X Games.
Career Highlights
The highlights of White’s career came at the 2006, 2010 and 2018 Olympics where he won gold in the men’s half-pipe competition all 3 years. White has also been consistently participating in the Winter X games for years and has medalled at these games every year since 2002. Throughout his career, White gained an immense amount of traction on social media and within the entertainment industry. He has had multiple cameos in films and television shows over the years, usually appearing as himself. He has also acquired a number of major brand deals with companies such as Celsius, Ralph Lauren, and Red Bull. Overall, White has had an extremely successful career but felt that at the end of the day, as he aged, the sport was becoming too taxing and it was time for him to move on. It’s hard to say what the future holds for White. However, this we know for sure: he will never be forgotten.
Tweet us, @VALLEYmag, with your favorite moment from Shaun White’s career.
