Shaun White goes for gold in his last Olympic event.

Shaun White showed in qualifications that he has what it takes to be in the top five.Credit...Gabriela Bhaskar/The New York TimesTurin, 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, will make his final three drops into an Olympic halfpipe. Whether he has one more magical run in him is the reason so many will tune in.

White is no longer a favorite, but he cannot be dismissed. It is possible that the high-flipping Japanese team…