Shaun White has a habit of stealing the spotlight, thanks to three Olympic gold medals.
This Olympics, his story in the halfpipe has a twist. He came in as a 35-year-old underdog, but one motivated by knowing that this will be his last Olympics, and maybe his last competition.
Making the podium was a possibility, but so was failing to reach the final at all.
White was one of 25 riders trying to advance to Friday’s 12-man final. Each competitor on Wednesday was given two runs, with only the better score counting in the rankings.
He fell midway through his first qualifying run, leaving his last Olympic hopes on an all-or-nothing second try.